James Potter Chronicles: Year Three
by Mean St
Summary: The Marauders are back for their third year and the stakes are ever increasing. James tries to juggle his rivalry with Snape and his feelings for Lily, while the world outside is growing ever more dangerous. R/R and enjoy!
1. Aurors and Alleys

1

Night had fallen in the countryside village of Godric's Hollow. Tucked away in the hills of Britain, the small village was one of the few all-wizard communities that the country had to offer. The main street had largely cleared out of the nightly crowd, and a gentle fall breeze rolled through the town, causing the homeless man sleeping on the park bench to stir. The homeless man popped one eye open and stared at the house across the street—all the windows were dark and all seemed well.

Ostensibly he was homeless, but the Auror known as Engelland shifted his position to lay on his side and went back to pretending to be asleep.

Inside the house, James Potter watched out the window as this routine ritual occurred. He sighed and turned back into the room where Sirius Black was idly flicking through a school book with his wand alight. Sirius seemed to have grown even taller over the summer; his hair was longer than ever and fell into his eyes with a casual elegance that James could never have hoped to achieve. Sirius' voice had started to grow deeper as well, giving him a newfound sound of maturity—one that he decried as a loss of his innocence.

He had arrived at the Potter house a few weeks ago, happily accepting the invitation to spend the rest of the summer there. When asked what his parents had said, he replied; 'I told them I was going to hang myself. They couldn't send me out the door fast enough.'

James had grown some over the summer as well. He was not as tall as Sirius, and his hair was not as long. The perpetually unmanageable dark hair he had seemed to stick up in all manner of directions, but James had grown fond of this. It gave it a windswept look that he was to understand was somewhat charming.

With Sirius' arrival, the summer weeks had begun to pass by much faster. The early part of the summer had been dreadful—James had already had enough trouble sleeping before the events that took place at the end of his second year. During the previous Christmas season, he and his parents had been attacked in their own home by Gilles Rochefort and the Death Eaters, narrowly escaping with their lives. This had prompted James' parents to retire away from London and the Ministry of Magic, where they had both enjoyed long and successful careers, to the village of Godric's Hollow, where Mr. Potter had called in all manner of favors to ensure the house was sufficiently protected.

This was the reason why the Auror known as Engelland had the un-enviable job of sleeping on a park bench across the street each night.

'Let's go through it again,' Sirius said in the deepening voice that James was still getting accustomed to, looking at the list that had arrived courtesy of an Owl the day before. 'Apart from the Standard Book of Spells for Third Years, we need Intermediate Transfiguration, Intermediate Charms…blah blah blah…and then the interesting one; a Most Dark Guide to the Dark Arts.'

James nodded. It had been a subject of much discussion over the summer as to who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts would be. In their first year, they had had the former Auror in Professor Artemis Bowen. A resourceful and interesting teacher, he had been murdered by Gilles Rochefort at the end of their first year when he had laid down his life to protect the students of the school. Their second year had seen a markedly different man as their teacher in Professor Cristobal Mondego, an irritable and eminently unfair teacher who happened to be one of the most gifted Occlumens of all time.

This made him a coveted object by the Dark Lord Voldemort, who had orchestrated his capture right off of the Hogwarts Express at the end of James' second year. Had it not been for Albus Dumbledore's direct intervention, James may well have been taken right along with him.

'Ah well, can't wait to get my hands on the new book, anyway. It sounds interesting,' Sirius said excitedly.

'Haven't you heard about judging a book by its cover?' James asked with a smirk.

Sirius grinned. 'It hasn't failed me so far. We're still meeting Peter and Remus at Flourish and Botts first thing tomorrow? I wonder if we'll see Snivelly there,' he said with a dark grin.

'Or Evans,' James added in what he hoped was an off hand tone.

'I have a hunch she'll still be angry with you,' Sirius pointed out.

James shrugged. 'She'll come around eventually.'

'Right,' Sirius replied. 'And monkeys might fly out of my—'

He was cut off as James whipped a pillow at him and Sirius laughed heartily. James looked back out the window again; he had known since the moment he had first seen Lily Evans, fiery tempered and shoving him around, that she was the only girl he would ever have eyes for. The only thing holding them back from their inevitable destiny together was the minor detail that she found him to be an insufferable prat. But James' feelings for her only seemed to have intensified over the summer—he now felt physically ill at the thought of how long it had been since he had seen her, and that feeling was not aided in any way by the thought that she had likely spent most of the summer with his arch rival, Severus Snape.

'…earth to James,' Sirius was saying. 'We should really try to get some sleep, unless you feel like passing out while waiting in line for books tomorrow,' he said.

James sighed. The prospect of sleep wasn't exactly all that enticing to him at this point. He was too nervous for tomorrow, but he had to agree that Sirius was right. They would need some rest.

Diagon Alley was packed with people. Students both new and old were cramming into every shop to get their school supplies.

'Nice to know we aren't the only ones who left this until the last minute,' Mrs. Potter observed dryly as she, Sirius and James entered Diagon Alley. 'So where to first? We could go to Madam Malkin's and get your new robes?'

'Bad idea,' came the voice of Remus Lupin from behind James' ear. James and Sirius roared in delight and embraced their friend who, as was usual, looked somewhat pale and sickly. James felt another body hit his back as Peter Pettigrew tried to jump into their group hug. 'Nice to see you lot too,' Remus said brightly.

'How was your summer?' Peter asked excitedly.

'Fast,' James replied truthfully. 'Ready for another year of—er—studious schoolwork and good behavior,' he said with a quick look at his mother who chuckled.

'I'll just go and get in line at Madam Malkin's while you plot your various acts of tomfoolery,' she said as she stepped off to go in line.

'It's great to see you! Too bad you couldn't come out to the house,' James said earnestly to Peter and Remus.

'It's alright, we got to see a fair bit of each other,' Remus said brightly as Peter nodded. 'So where shall we go first? Flourish and Botts is a mess, Lily's been in line for two hours already, I just saw her there—where are you going?'

James had taken off immediately upon hearing where Lily was. The others fell into step behind him, Sirius rolling his eyes. 'Honestly, Moony, haven't you learned by now?'

'Learned what?' Remus said with a frown.

In a masterful imitation of Remus' voice, Sirius began: 'Oi, James. You know that girl you've been lusting after for the last two years? Well she's off in Flourish and Botts, but hey—there's a big lineup, don't go there!' he said to a giggle from Peter. Even Remus chuckled at the imitation. 'I've been practicing for your inevitable lectures,' Sirius pointed out.

They entered the bookshop and discovered that Remus had most certainly not been exaggerating. It was packed from wall to wall with students. James craned his neck around until he spotted the familiar, flowing mane of red hair. He sighed as Lily Evans turned her gaze to him, a smile alight on her face. For one moment, James thought she was happy to see him—but then her face contorted into a snarl of contempt.

'Alright, Evans?' James shouted over the din as he elbowed his way over to her.

'You're not serious?' Lily asked as he landed next to her with a thud, having just jumped between two large seventh years. 'Why are you speaking to me, exactly?'

'I just thought I'd ask how your summer went,' James asked brightly.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'That's none of your business,' she said coldly. She looked around the room desperately, searching for someone else to talk to.

'Where's Sev?' James asked. 'I thought he'd be here with you.'

Lily appraised him coldly again. 'Not that it's any of your business, but he was thoughtful enough to get in line at Madam Malkin's. I'm picking up his books and meeting him there.'

'You'll need a hand carrying those, won't you?' James asked hopefully.

'Are you a wizard or not?' Lily muttered in exasperation. 'I can manage just fine on my own, Potter. I'm a big girl, and I certainly don't need YOUR help.'

They inched forward in line. 'Come on, Evans, didn't you miss this at all? Our sharp back and forth? The witty repartee?' James asked with a raise of his eyebrows.

'The only thing I missed about you, Potter, was watching you LEAVE,' Lily said irritably. 'Oh thank goodness—someone I actually want to talk to. Alice! Over here!'

James craned his neck around to see Alice Dearborn sliding towards them. 'Hey you two!' she said brightly. 'Potter, have you seen Dorcas? She's outside—you should go see her now, she has something to show you.'

James looked around to see Sirius, Remus and Peter were already in line. He looked back at Lily with a sigh, she was already deep in conversation with Alice who had brought some friends along that James didn't know that well. He slipped back to the others. 'I'll be right back, save me a spot in line,' he said. Sirius nodded and James stepped outside.

'Potter!' came a cry and he was suddenly enveloped in a massive, bone crunching hug. He managed to separate himself from the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, Dorcas Meadowes. 'Guess what!' she said excitedly. 'I've been made Head Girl this year!' she showed him her badge.

James' jaw dropped. 'Wow, Dorcas—that's fantastic, congratulations!'

Dorcas beamed, and then she was suddenly flanked by Gideon and Fabian Prewett. 'Alas, all our attempts to lead her down the righteous path of trickery, detentions and wrong-doing have failed,' Gideon quipped.

'We're going to have to be on our best behavior, now,' Fabian added sarcastically. 'What with the right and honorable Dorcas Meadowes watching our every move.'

Dorcas rolled her eyes. 'Come off it, you two, this isn't going to change anything.'

'Course not, but we had to pay it lip service,' Gideon quipped.

'So when's the first Quidditch practice?' Fabian asked excitedly.

Dorcas folded her arms. 'We're still having trials, and everyone will still have to fight to maintain their spot,' she said. 'We can't afford to get complacent—this is Dirk and I's final year, we want to repeat as champions.'

'Methinks she lacks confidence in us,' Gideon said.

'Don't know what could give her the idea to question our focus,' Fabian added.

Dorcas smiled. 'It's not a question of focus, it's just staying on our game. So Potter, can I count on you, Longbottom and Dearborn to be at trials?'

'You bet,' James said with a grin. The three of them faded away, chattering excitedly about Quidditch. James turned to go back into Flourish and Botts and nearly collided with Lily, who was coming out with a massive bag of books.

'Watch it, Potter! You nearly made me drop these!' she said angrily.

'Are you sure you don't want some-?' James began, but Severus Snape suddenly appeared at Lily's side.

'Let me help you with those,' Snape said, taking some of the books off her hands.

'Thanks, Sev, they're absurdly heavy,' Lily said sincerely.

James chuckled. 'I thought you were a big girl who didn't need any help?' he said with a smirk at Lily who rolled her eyes. He cast his eyes to Snape and was unsurprised to see that the latter was glaring daggers at him. 'Alright, Snivelly? Nice summer?'

'Stuff it, Potter,' Lily said angrily, holding an arm out to block Snape from coming closer. 'Come on, Sev. Let's go before someone does something we'll regret.'

James held up his hands in mock fright. 'You're right, Evans. It would be terribly regretful if he wiped that greasy beak of his all over me.'

Snape grit his teeth and turned, storming off with Lily who cast an angry glance back at him.

'You have the most bizarre way of trying to woo someone that I've ever seen, Potter,' said Alice Dearborn as she emerged from Flourish and Botts with her friends in tow.

James laughed. 'Hark who's talking—snogged Frank yet?' he asked.

Alice went pink as her girlfriends giggled. 'That's none of your business,' she said hastily, but she lightened up as James laughed.

'I'm kidding,' he said earnestly. 'Who are your friends?'

'This is Mary McDonald, and this is Marlene McKinnon,' Alice said. A series of pleasantries were exchanged. Mary and Marlene both giggled, looking at James affectionately which altogether confused him.

'Right, James?' Sirius asked as he, Remus and Peter emerged from Flourish and Botts, dropping James' books unceremoniously into his arms.

'How much do I owe you?' James asked.

Sirius snorted. 'Please,' he said, to a surprised glance from Remus and Peter. 'Let's go and see how your mother is making out at Madam Malkin's.'

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. They got their newly sized robes—or rather, James, Sirius and Remus did. Peter was somewhat embarrassed by the fact that he still fit rather easily into his previous years' robes, so his parents had not seen the need to purchase him new ones. The day wound down and it was time for everyone to go home. James caught sight of Lily leaving Diagon Alley with Snape, both of them laughing at some shared joke.

'You're hopeless,' Remus sighed as they began to leave.

'What do you mean?' James asked.

'You're going to have to choose between antagonizing Snape and trying to pick up Lily to be truly successful at either,' Remus said. 'I know which one I'd suggest you do.'

Sirius grinned. 'But where's the fun in chasing Lily? You don't get any of the satisfaction of hexing Snape,' he said.

'It's like there's an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other,' James said with a laugh. 'We'll see you at Platform 9 and ¾ tomorrow?' he asked Peter and Remus, who nodded and bid farewell as they went off to their parents.

'Shall we try side-along apparition again?' Mrs. Potter asked.

James groaned. 'I suppose it's the fastest,' he muttered.

'It's like being crammed into a matchbox,' Sirius added darkly as they each grabbed one of Mrs. Potter's arms. They spun on the spot and were suddenly back on the main street in the middle of Godric's Hollow. Mr. Potter was tending to the front yard of the house and he waved at them as they strolled over.

'Get everything you needed?' Mr. Potter asked, wiping sweat from his brow as he paused from raking the leaves.

'Why don't you just use magic for that?' James asked.

Mr. Potter shrugged. 'It builds character,' he said.

'And keeps him in shape,' Mrs. Potter added to a wink from Mr. Potter. 'Alright, straight inside for supper—I don't want any late night chattering today, we've got to be up bright and early to catch the train tomorrow.'

'Think it's going to be a good year?' Sirius asked as they headed inside.

James grinned. 'I wager this will be our most memorable one yet.'


	2. Essays and Scuffles

2

The train platform was abuzz the following day as students said goodbye to their parents. Sirius, James, and James' parents weaved their way through the throngs of people as they made their way to the luggage cart.

'It's nice to finally be here for this,' Mrs. Potter said happily as she looked around at all the people. 'I'd forgotten how busy this day could be.'

'Nice to see some extra protection, too,' Mr. Potter added as he nodded at a suited wizard who nodded grimly. James looked around the platform and spotted several more wizards dressed in dark black suits and guessed that they were from the Auror Office.

Sirius heaved his luggage onto the cart and turned to James with a grin. 'Third year all set to begin!' he said happily as James threw his on as well.

'One last thing,' Mr. Potter said, bringing the antiquated camera out of his pocket.

'Oh for the love of…' James muttered as Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The two buys grinned as Mr. Potter snapped the photo and handed the camera to James' mother. Mr. Potter wrapped James in a hug.

'Be careful this year, James,' Mr. Potter murmured. 'You've had too many close calls.'

James patted his father's back. 'You too,' he said. 'I don't want you going and getting soft in retirement, you hear me?'

Mr. Potter chuckled as he went to embrace Sirius and Mrs. Potter embraced James. 'Try and listen to your teachers,' she said earnestly. 'And Remus, too. He seems like a very smart boy.'

James snorted. 'He'll probably be a teacher himself some day. He certainly likes to lecture,' he said with a smirk at Sirius who chuckled. The train's whistle sounded and Mrs. Potter released her grip on James.

'Good luck. Focus on your studies and on Quidditch!' Mr. Potter called as James and Sirius hopped onto a train car.

The train began to move sluggishly out of the station. James and Sirius ducked into a cart and nearly collided with another one of the tall, dark suited wizards. 'Sorry,' James muttered as the wizard glared at them. 'It's nice to have some protection and all, but would it kill them to be a little more pleasant?' James mused.

'It's probably in the job description. 'Ah yes, you wish to be an Auror? Excellent. Let's look at your qualifications—Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, and five-times winner of Witch Weekly's Most Foul Facial Expressions Award'!'

James laughed as they found Remus and Peter sitting in a compartment together. They were already dressed in their school robes. 'Has the lunch cart been by yet?' Sirius asked as he flopped onto the seat next to Remus.

'Already thinking with your stomach?' Remus mused, passing Sirius an eclaire. Sirius grinned with delight and began to devour it. 'You've noticed all the extra protection we've got this year, I take it?' he asked James.

James nodded. 'We were just talking about it,' he said. 'I guess that makes the typical Hogwarts Express Hijinx a little more difficult to pull off,' he added with a mischievous facial expression.

Peter frowned. 'More difficult? You're not thinking of hexing someone right under the Ministry's nose, are you?'

Sirius laughed. 'Of course we are, Peter! It just adds a little fun to the game.'

Remus sighed and pulled out a textbook. 'I don't know why I bother,' he muttered.

'Come on, Moony,' Sirius said, elbowing Remus playfully. 'You know we're endearing.'

'Speaking of Moony,' James said. 'I think we had a breakthrough with that book on Animagi that you gave us last year, Remus.'

Remus looked up from his book, mildly surprised. 'You did?' he asked blankly. 'You two?'

'Don't sound surprised or anything,' Sirius said scornfully. 'It took a fair bit of work on our part, and work isn't exactly something I'm used to!'

'Clearly,' Remus said simply to a chortle from Peter. 'Well? What did you discover?'

James grinned. 'Well, we had to read about four other books to actually understand half of it…but I think we've gotten part of the actual incantation around. It's dead difficult, because it's a non-verbal spell.'

'Naturally,' Remus said. 'The camouflage of becoming an animal would be rendered moot if you had to announce it to everyone.'

'So you can transform?' Peter said excitedly.

Sirius flushed. 'Not exactly,' he muttered. 'Like I said, we have part of it down. All we managed was…well…'

James laughed. 'We got a lot of body hair,' he said.

Remus barked with laughter as Sirius looked embarrassed. 'And how did you manage to fix that?' he asked.

'James was lucky, he managed to fix himself somehow,' Sirius muttered darkly.

'I had to shave Sirius,' James said with a laugh and now they were all laughing. 'He was covered in this thick black hair.'

'I didn't think I'd be able to pass it off as puberty,' Sirius said with a chuckle, evidently glad for the reason for them all to be laughing.

'Suffice to say, there's still some work to do,' James finally went on. 'But at least it's some kind of progress. If we ever want someone to think we've discovered prehistoric man, we'll just let Sirius have a go.'

Sirius whipped part of his eclaire at James who ducked quickly.

The door to the compartment opened and James' heart leapt as Lily Evans poked her head in. She scowled at him for a moment before turning her attention to Remus. 'Did you want to take another look at that advance assignment that McGonagall gave us?' she asked.

'I would love to,' Remus said as he gathered his bag.

'Advanced assignment?' Sirius asked with a disgusted look on his face.

'Extra credit,' Remus said simply.

'But we're not even at school yet!' Sirius complained.

Remus shrugged and got up. 'See you lot later,' he said.

'I think I'd like some extra credit too,' James said quickly, standing from his seat. Remus and Lily's eyes bugged out of their heads as if James had grown a third arm.

'You must be joking,' Remus said.

James puffed his chest out. 'I'm not,' he replied. 'I spend so much time in detention that it might help to pay a little more attention to my studies.'

Remus looked warily at Lily who gave a funny little jerk. 'Fine,' she muttered. 'Come on, then.'

James looked back at Sirius and gave a thumbs up, which caused Sirius to chuckle. He followed Remus and Lily down the hall of the train car to an empty compartment. 'This would have been more difficult last year,' Lily muttered as she sat down. 'So many parents aren't letting their children come back.'

'I can't say I blame them,' James said. 'My parents weren't exactly for the idea.'

Lily looked surprised. 'Your parents wanted you to stay home?'

James nodded. 'They want me close. After how many close calls I've had with that damned Rochefort over the last two years, I guess I can see why. But I figure I'm as safe at Hogwarts as anywhere else. What did yours say?'

Lily laughed darkly. 'My parents don't know anything about it. I think my sister would be delighted by the idea that I was in mortal danger, though…if I ever told her, that is.' Lily's face changed—she had clearly said more than she meant to. She cleared her throat. 'So,' she said. 'How about that homework assignment?'

'Right,' Remus said. 'Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, a short essay,' he said.

'Gesundheit,' James said helpfully. Lily snorted with laughter in spite of herself.

'More importantly,' Remus went on with a reproachful side-long glare at James, 'We need to discuss what the five exceptions to Gamp's Law are. James, since you were so eager to join, why don't you fill us in?'

'Food, Life, Love, Money and Body Parts,' James said easily. Lily's jaw dropped and Remus looked thunderstruck. James grinned. 'Sorry, have I said something out of turn?'

'How did you know that?' Lily asked, unable to mask the fact that she was impressed.

James grinned. 'I know lots of things,' he said. 'I can compose this essay in about five minutes. Ten if you'd like it in iambic pentameter.'

Now Remus looked positively aghast. 'You've been holding out on me, James,' he said, equally unable to hide his astonishment at the correct answers spewing forth out of James' mouth.

James picked up a quill. 'Come on, then, let's get started,' he said.

Just then, the door to the compartment opened and Severus Snape stood there. He looked at Lily with a smile on his face, and then noticed Remus and James sitting there. 'What are THEY doing here?' he said with contempt.

'Homework,' Lily replied easily. 'Care to join us?'

Snape looked as if he had been invited to eat a rotten fish. 'No,' he said rather rudely, causing Lily to blink. 'Why—why don't you come for a walk?' he added hastily.

'I'm doing homework,' she replied simply. 'You're welcome to join us.'

Snape looked angrily at James and then backed out of the compartment. Lily sighed. 'Sorry, Remus,' she muttered. 'He's still grousing about that prank you all pulled on him.'

James looked at Remus in surprise. 'So how come Remus gets off scot-free and you've gone back to hating me?' he asked.

'Because it was all your idea, Potter,' Lily said simply, not looking up from writing her essay.

'I think it's more complicated than that,' James said, ignoring a warning look from Remus. 'I think you fancy me and just can't admit it.'

Lily's quill almost snapped in half and her neck cracked as she looked up. Her expression of horror was there for only a moment, replaced by an amused expression. 'You think I fancy you?' she said with a shrill laugh.

'Are you denying it?' James said with a satisfied grin.

'Oh not at all,' Lily replied sarcastically. 'In fact, I'd quite fancy you in a lot of ways. Falling down stairs, being hexed, being struck with solid objects—'

'Are we going to be doing any homework here?' Remus tried to interject.

James laughed. 'Come off it, Evans. You can hide behind all the tough talk you like, but the fact is I know you're just dying to give me a big old kiss.'

Now Lily looked positively outraged. 'I'd just as soon kiss a hairy beast!' she shouted.

'I can arrange that,' James said with a laugh.

Lily snapped her book shut and stormed out of the compartment. James looked over at Remus who was shaking his head in disapproval. 'Oh come on,' James said. 'It's a little harmless fun.'

'I don't know how harmless it is,' Remus muttered. 'I'd wager you're warming her up to the idea of hexing you.'

They strolled leisurely back to the compartment they had shared with Sirius and Peter when the sounds of a scuffle came to their ears. They broke into a run and stopped outside of their compartment—Sirius was engaged in a spirited fight with his younger brother Regulus. Peter was cowering outside the door, covered in boils, apparently the recipient of a curse.

'—gerroffme, Sirius, you stupid—' Regulus was yelling.

'Do something like this again, ickle Reggie, and I'll throw you off the train!' Sirius was shouting as he had Regulus in a headlock, banging his head into the seat of the compartment.

'We should break this up,' Remus said.

'You want to stick a limb in there?' James asked incredulously.

Regulus kicked at Sirius, hitting him in the shin. Sirius yelped and grabbed Regulus, bodily throwing his younger brother out of the compartment. James hopped out of the way as Regulus thudded to the floor. Heads were sticking out of all the compartments.

'I'm your brother!' Regulus spat. 'And you dropped me off a bloody building!'

'There's no proof of that,' Sirius shot back, although his eyes were wide with glee. 'Although if I had done it, it would have served you right! Running around with a pack of little wannabe-Death Eaters! Mummy and Daddy must be so proud of you!'

Regulus glared angrily. 'Just because you're an embarrassment to the family doesn't mean I am,' he retorted. 'I hope they blast you off the family tree.'

'Me too,' Sirius said hotly. 'Then I could stop having to explain myself every time I said my last name!'

Regulus stormed off down the hall. Peter was still blubbering, covered in boils. Remus quietly muttered the counter jinx and the boils vanished. He helped Remus to his feet as James surveyed Sirius quietly. 'Alright, Sirius?' he asked.

'Fine,' Sirius said with a blink, although he was still panting. 'Just a disagreement.'

'He hexed me for no reason,' Peter muttered glumly.

'Oh come off it,' Sirius said irritably. 'You were part of the prank too. You know they might want some payback.'

'Easy,' Remus said firmly. 'No need to get nasty with each other. And no need to start shouting so much. I'm surprised the Aurors didn't flock to the scene,' he added.

Sirius snorted as he sat down. 'Fat lot of good they are if they can't manage a stupid second year like my brother,' he muttered.

'So…' Peter began and James knew what he and Remus were wondering. Sirius had always kept quiet about his family to them, only ever really opening up to James. Sirius apparently caught on as well.

'I'm going for a walk,' he muttered.

He got up and left the compartment abruptly. James sighed and went to follow him. They went outside the train car onto the cold, windy partition between them and the next car. James realized they weren't alone—Lily was there too.

'Oh, what now?' she muttered angrily.

'What are you doing here?' James asked in surprise.

'Not that it's any of your business, but Sev won't talk to me,' she said angrily. 'Although it is your fault! If you hadn't invited yourself along—' she began.

'I'm sorry,' James said quickly. 'Look, I really didn't mean to cause you any grief—I was just having a laugh,' he said, but Lily had noticed Sirius.

'What's up with you?' she asked in surprise.

Sirius shrugged and looked out at the passing countryside. 'Family disagreement,' James muttered.

'I know how those are,' Lily said.

Sirius snorted. 'You do, do you?' he asked.

'I do,' Lily said. 'I come from a family of muggles. The day I got my Hogwarts letter I was so pleased, and my parents were too. Imagine being a muggle and finding out one of your sisters was off to learn magic, but you couldn't go.'

Sirius turned and looked at Lily seemingly for the first time.

'She's hated me ever since,' Lily said simply. 'She says awful things to me. She always says how she wishes I'd just—I'd just drop dead, or not come back,' she said. 'It's not easy having family that despise you.'

Sirius blinked. 'I never knew,' he said. 'I come from a family of pure bloods—capital P, capital B. Being pure blooded blinds them…they think it makes them royalty. And they few anyone else, be it half bloods, muggles or blood traitors as scum. They think this Lord Voldemort has the right idea, believe you me,' he added darkly. 'And my little ickle Reggie has bought right into it.'

'Isn't there anyone decent in your family?' Lily asked.

Sirius nodded to James. 'He's my family,' he replied simply. 'My parents and my brother are people I just happen to be related to.' Lily gave James a look he was coming to know well; the look of surprise when she found out he was something of a decent person. 'I have other nice relatives too, not that I'm allowed to see them. It seems that being a decent person buys you a first class ticket off the family tree. Literally. We have a family tree, and anyone my parents don't like, they scorch right off it,' he said with a snap of his fingers. 'Just like that.'

'That sounds awful,' Lily said.

'It is,' Sirius said, and James was quietly amazed at how much he was opening up. 'I'm the only member of my immediately family not to be in the Slytherin house for the last few generations. 'The Black Sheep of the Black Family,' they called me,' he said.

Lily smiled. 'My sister calls me a freak. A little freak who can make things go bang,' she muttered.

'I'm sorry,' Sirius said. 'I didn't know you had it so rough.'

Lily shrugged. 'My parents are nice people. I wish they'd do more to try and help Petunia—that's my sister—see reason, but I guess there's only so much they can do,' she said with a sigh.

'This must sound foreign to James. He comes from a nice little nuclear family. He's got his own Quidditch Pitch in the backyard,' Sirius joked.

'Oi! You enjoyed flying on that!' James said in mock dismay as Sirius laughed.

'And parents that cater to his every need?' Lily asked.

'You'd better believe it,' Sirius said with a laugh.

'Hey!' James said indignantly.

'Easy, James. Nothing wrong with having a laugh at your expense once in a while,' Sirius said with a wink. James looked quickly between Sirius and Lily, both of whom were smiling where moments before, there had been angry or sad expressions.

James smiled. 'No, I guess there's not,' he said with a grin.


	3. Truces and Teachers

3

The rest of the train ride passed quickly. Sirius and Lily were suddenly being quite friendly with one another. It had never struck James to try and get the two of them to open up about their family issues. He knew full well that they each had rocky home relationships, but they now seemed able to talk about it with an ease that neither of them had ever managed with James. He felt equal parts pleased and inadequate at this turn of events; he wandered if he would no longer be Sirius' confidante, and wondered as well if that was just one more subject that Lily would never discuss with him again.

They arrived at Hogsmeade Station and disembarked from the train. Hagrid, the Hogwarts' Gamekeeper, gave them a cheery wave as he summoned the first years to take the boats. James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and Peter made their way towards the carriages. James spotted Snape giving him another foul look which he shrugged off and kept walking.

Sirius, Lily and James took a carriage together. 'So are you two ever going to admit being behind that prank?' Lily asked as the carriage began to move.

James laughed. 'Even if we wanted to admit it, Evans, we never could. We'd get in trouble.'

'It was pretty brilliant though,' Sirius added with a wistful look in his eye.

'It was not!' Lily said with a reproachful look at him.

Sirius shrugged. 'Look at it this way. One side thought it was fun to whack bludgers at James, nearly concussing him and causing his team to miss catching Alice—your best friend, I might add—when she was falling from over a thousand feet. They further thought it was a good idea to jump James AND you in the hallways and beat you pretty soundly in the process. These pranksters, on the other hand, played a practical joke in which no one got hurt. I think your anger might be somewhat misplaced.'

Lily's mouth worked silently for a moment. James could tell she was slightly taken aback by the eloquence of Sirius' statement. 'Two wrongs don't make a right,' she finally said.

'They also don't make a left,' James supplied with a wink. 'It's all in the past, it's a new year. Live and let live, Lily,' he said.

Lily sighed. 'I can't go through five more years of this,' she mumbled.

'Five more years of what?' James asked.

'You and Sev trying to kill each other,' she groaned. 'You could both be best friends if you just realized how alike you are.'

James and Sirius both laughed. 'Yeah, we'd be bosom mates,' James chortled.

'I'm serious,' Lily urged. 'You should just try having a normal conversation with him.'

'Evans,' James said. 'The last time I tried that, one of us ended up with bubble gum up their nose.'

'That was because you put it there!' Lily countered.

'Be that as it may,' James said to a chortle from Sirius, 'I think you'd be asking for a near miracle. But tell you what. If you can get him to come to the table, I'll listen.'

Lily looked surprised, but it was nothing to the look of shock on Sirius' face. 'Are you for real right now?' Lily asked.

'Of course,' James said calmly.

Lily studied him for a moment. 'I'll ask him,' she said cheerily as the carriage came to a stop. She bounded out first, leaving Sirius and James alone.

'Are you mental?' Sirius asked.

'No,' James replied.

'Did you suffer a massive blow to the head?'

'No,' James replied with a smirk.

'Were you recently deprived of oxygen?' Sirius asked, looking genuinely concerned.

James laughed. 'No, of course not,' he said.

'Then what the bloody hell is wrong with you?' Sirius barked.

James made his way out of the carriage. 'Look, we got Snape about as good as we may ever get him. Right now, I want to focus on Lily more than I want to focus on Snape. So if he wants to do the proverbial kiss and make up…why not?'

Sirius was looking at James as if he was gravely ill. 'But…hexing Snape is our thing! We can't exactly both go chasing Lily,' he said.

'Well no, that would get awkward,' James replied. Sirius chuckled.

'So just like that, we're going to forget about everything Snivelly's done?' Sirius asked.

James shook his head. 'No one's forgetting anything,' he said. 'If he keeps going down the road he's on, I would guess that our paths will cross in a much more real way at some point. I'm just saying maybe we shouldn't go out of our way to do him any more damage this year.'

'Who are you and what have you done with James Potter,' Sirius muttered as they were joined by Peter and Remus on their way to the great hall.

'What's going on now?' Remus asked.

'James is saying we should lay off Snape. He's invited him to agree to a truce!' Sirius said in dismay.

Remus raised his eyebrows at James. 'That's very mature of you,' he said in surprise.

'No it isn't!' Sirius nearly shouted to surprised looks from the others. 'I mean yes, okay, it is quite grown up, but it's no fun!'

Remus sighed. 'Why do I get the feeling, dear Sirius, that you're somehow missing the point?'

Sirius muttered darkly as they sat at the table. 'If it means I don't have to have my head on a swivel while walking through the school hallways, I'd say it's a good thing,' Peter said.

'Yes, we all know you have the spine of a paperback book, Peter,' Sirius said grouchily.

'Come off it, Sirius. It's not like he'll ever agree to a ceasefire,' James said bracingly. 'But at least I put the ball in his court.'

Sirius seemed heartened. 'Are you saying this is psychological warfare?'

'Oh please no,' Remus muttered.

James shrugged. 'As a worst case scenario,' he said. 'But I'm open to just ignoring each other if he's open to the idea—' he was cut off as he was suddenly wrenched into the air by his ankle. He helped as his robes fell down around his head, momentarily blinding him. He heard Sirius gave a similar yell beside him and laughter filled the hall.

'I want no part of a truce with you, Potter. You just wait. You're getting yours this year,' came a snarl from Severus Snape.

'Where's Evans when you need her,' James said bitterly.

'And stay away from her!' Snape snapped.

'Put them down,' came Remus' calm and authoritative voice.

'Or what?' Snape sneered.

James was struggling to get his robes up over his head but he heard a loud bang and applause. The next thing he knew he was crashing to the ground on his head. His vision swum, but he managed to extract himself from his robes and stand up, just as Snape was doing the same. He had a nasty welt on his cheek where Remus had evidently hit him with a spell.

'Now go away,' Remus said. 'Before the teachers get here.'

Snape gave James a malevolent look and stormed off. Sirius went to chase after him but Remus, who had apparently anticipated this, pointed his wand at Sirius and firmly said 'Impedimenta.' Sirius fell to the floor and remained there, surprised. 'As I said,' Remus added calmly, 'the teachers are going to be here soon…so we mustn't be caught.'

Sirius grumbled as James helped him to his feet. 'Thanks for the assist, Moony,' James said, glaring at Snape as he sat at the Slytherin table. He was being clapped on the back by his usual cronies, Mulciber and Avery. 'Where IS Lily?'

'She hasn't come into the Great Hall yet,' Remus observed.

'Clearly good ol' Sev has already asked her about your truce,' Sirius muttered darkly. 'Wonder if he told her off?'

James hissed. 'For his sake I hope not,' he muttered.

Peter pointed to the head table. 'Here come the teachers,' he said.

The teachers were indeed strolling out. Albus Dumbledore lead the way; the Hogwarts Headmaster was a tall and friendly looking man, but James was now safely able to add the word 'imposing' to the list of character descriptions. He and a few other students had got to witness the headmaster in action at the close of last year, as Dumbledore had single-handedly taken down five Death Eaters with ease.

Following Professor Dumbledore were the respective Heads of House; Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration Professor, Gryffindor Head and the strictest teacher in the school. Horace Slughorn, the rotund Head of Slytherin and a man known for fawning over some of his more well known Potions students. Filius Flitwick, the dimunitive Head of Ravenclaw and Charms Master, and finally, Pomona Sprout, the short and stout head of the Hufflepuff House. A friendly teacher, James noticed that she seemed to be in a particularly good mood.

Following the heads of house were the other Hogwarts staff. Argus Filch stumped out and sat down moodily; apparently being in such close proximity to so many students at once was causing him physical discomfort. Rubeus Hagrid bull dozed his way behind the other teachers to sit at the far end of the table. Professor Binns, the ghost teacher of History of Magic, glided to the end of the table and looked out with a bored expression at the students. Professor Vector came next, Silvanus Kettleburn followed, then Madam Pince, Professor Sinistra…by now, the entire student body was buzzing. James figured that they were waiting for the new Defense teacher to enter last.

And finally, there she was—a strangely familiar face that James could not quite place. James had to place her at over six feet tall; she was slender, younger than most of the faculty by a wide margin, and wore a determined facial expression. James heard applause erupt and turned to see the Hufflepuff House was on its feet, cheering wildly.

'I see that some of you may recognize the newest addition to our staff,' Dumbledore said warmly from the head of the hall, his voice reverberating around. 'For those who are not acquainted, we shall cut straight to the introduction. Please welcome one of Hogwarts' own graduates—a Hufflepuff, I might add—' he said with a nod to a beaming Professor Sprout, 'Madam Amelia Bones.'

'That explains it!' James said, spotting Edgar Bones at the Hufflepuff table. Edgar was whooping and hollering. James cast a look up at Madam Bones who offered the smallest of smiles from where she stood.

'Welcome to another year at Hogwarts,' Dumbledore said and the hall quieted down. 'I am so very glad to see that many of you were able to return this year. In the times we face, educating ourselves must be a priority. I will now go through the usual housekeeping items before we find ourselves befuddled by our magnificent feast…'

James practically had the rest of the speech memorized. He turned to Sirius. 'Did you that Edgar had a sister?' he asked.

Sirius nodded. 'He's mentioned it in class, but I never knew she was going to be a teacher,' he replied.

James caught Edgar's eye. Edgar gave him a thumbs up from across the hall and James grinned back. Even knowing nothing about Madam Bones, James could scarcely believe she would be more difficult to work for than Professor Mondego had been.

'Lily,' Remus said suddenly and James looked up. Lily had finally slinked into the hall, her head down, she made to sit at the very end of the table. James shot a look over to Snape who was glaring angrily back at him. 'As we guessed, I don't think the offer of a truce went over well,' he observed.

James sighed. 'Watch this end up being my fault,' he muttered.

'It will take a while to undo the damage you two have inflicted on each other,' Remus said sagely as he helped himself to a massive chicken leg. 'But if you're sincere in wanting to make things right, time will become your ally.'

'I think he's right,' Peter said quickly.

'Course you do,' grunted Sirius as he tore into a meaty strip of chicken. 'I just don't think we should be so quick to live and let live after all he's done.'

'He did heal Lily on the train last year,' Remus pointed out. 'That has to stand for something.'

Sirius swallowed his mouthful of meat. 'That doesn't mean he's on our side. Everyone knows Snape fancies Lily, that doesn't mean he's some kind of angel,' he said adamantly.

Remus shrugged. 'People are more complex than just good wizards and Death Eaters,' he said simply. 'Look at James. To Snape, he can be a particularly vile person.'

'Thanks a lot, Moony,' James grumbled.

'But to everyone else, he's charming, intelligent and insightful. Hence the reason why Lily finds herself in such a flap over him,' Remus finished.

'I was only vile to Snivellus because he was vile to us!' James defended. 'Did you forget the first day on the train?'

'He hexed me,' Peter added defensively.

Remus sighed. 'A misunderstanding, yes, and Snape certainly put the wrong foot forward. But the matter was only inflamed by your insistence on perpetuating this little feud until it ran over to a boiling point last year.'

'You mean the prank,' Sirius said with a dreamy expression. 'Something you helped with, I might add, Moony.'

Remus nodded. 'I acknowledge my part in this,' he said calmly. 'There needed to be some form of retribution for them ambushing James and Lily. But you each have gone an eye for an eye, and I think it would be high time that you stopped fighting.'

'Which I just offered to do, I don't know why you're still lecturing me,' James said irritably.

'I'm just saying, don't let one refusal to come to terms dissuade you,' Remus said earnestly. 'You're going to need to keep working at it.'

'It takes two to dance,' Sirius pointed out.

Remus pursed his lips. 'Just think about that,' he said at last. 'It would do your chances with Lily a world of good if you could find a way to just peacefully co-exist with her best friend,' he said as he tucked back into his food.

'What do you think, Peter?' James asked.

Peter nearly choked on his chicken. Sirius gave him a hearty smack on the back to help. 'I…I think you both make some good points,' he said carefully as Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Well, we can't just forget about what Snape has done!' he defended. 'But if James wants to be friends with Lily, he can't always be fighting with him.'

'Do the two have to be mutually exclusive?' Sirius muttered.

'Yes,' Remus said simply. 'Lily has made that quite clear. And you should be a bit more sympathetic—you both opened up to each other quite candidly on the train. If you want that sort of friendship to continue, you need to be more considerate of her wants and needs.'

Sirius shook his head as if dislodging a fly. 'You talk too much, Moony,' he said grumpily.

'Alright, James?' came an excited voice from behind him. He turned to see Edgar Bones there, wearing a smile that covered almost his entire face. 'Isn't it exciting? Amelia was tops in every class in her year, and now she's going to be teaching us Defense!'

'That's really wicked, Edgar,' James replied. 'What's she been doing since graduating?'

'She interned with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She actually worked with your Dad for a little bit,' Edgar babbled happily. 'She's been pretty mum on what she plans to teach us, but she says she's found some really good subject material to go over.'

'Looking forward to it,' James said and Edgar bounded off.

'Wonder if your Dad knew she was going to be teacher?' Sirius asked.

James shrugged. 'Hopefully she has better luck than the last few teachers,' he said warily.

'Can't get much worse than what happened to either of them,' Sirius said hopefully.


	4. Suspicions and Lessons

4

The next morning saw the first of their new classes begin. Defense Against the Dark Arts was first up, and everyone clambered into the classroom, muttering in excitement. This was for two reasons; the first was that they were excited to get to see their new teacher in action, and the second was that the Gryffindors were not sharing this class with the Slytherins this year. They were now partnered with the Hufflepuffs. James inwardly hoped that there wouldn't be any favoritism towards the Hufflepuffs given that they were Madam Bones' former house, and that her younger brother was in the class.

Madam Bones entered the classroom and flicked her wand. The lights dimmed and the class hushed as she strode to the front of the room and surveyed them. 'Hello,' she said in a booming voice. 'I am Madam Amelia Bones, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I am aware of the prescribed practicum put forth by the Ministry and Professor Dumbledore respectively,' she said with a slight bow, 'but I am also aware that you have already had some exposure to relatively advanced forms of magic, to discussing the Killing Curse…to Occlumency.'

Peter shifted in his seat uncomfortably at the last word.

'My intention is to do more of the same,' Madam Bones went on. 'In a few short years, you will leave this school and enter the real world. Let me assure you that it is far, far worse than what you may have gleaned from the whispered conversations between individuals in the know. Some of you have already seen exactly how bad it can get,' she added, with a lingering look at James. Her eyes then swept to Lily. 'So I am making it my objective to prepare you to the absolute best of your abilities for what awaits you.'

James and Sirius traded excited glances.

'So,' Bones boomed with a clap of her hands. 'We have already covered the Killing Curse in great detail. As we know, this makes up one of the three Unforgiveable Curses—all of which are strictly illegal,' she added. 'Who can tell me the other two? Potter?'

James had not raised his hand, but he had expected to be asked. 'The Cruciatus Curse,' he said strongly.

Whispers went through the classroom and Madam Bones looked at James with a small smile. 'Mr. Potter,' she said in a softer voice. 'I understand if you will decline this request—but you have knowledge that would be unique to this classroom. Are you able to…?' she trailed off.

James stood. 'I'm not the only one here who's been put under it,' he said slowly. 'Sirius has too.' Sirius grinned around the classroom to a muted chuckle. James cleared his throat. 'I don't really know where to begin,' he said earnestly.

'Perhaps I can assist,' Madam Bones said. 'Some scholars, Mr. Potter, have suggested that it is possible to employ a 'mind over matter' type resistance to the curse. That one can simply overcome the pain and maintain control of themselves. Would you agree?'

James snorted. 'Absolutely not,' he said. 'I mean…well, alright,' he said, staring out the window. 'When I had the curse put on me, I couldn't think. I didn't know anything, I didn't see anything, I didn't hear anything…all I felt was pain. And that word doesn't really do it justice. I thought I'd never feel another thing ever again.' He paused, aware that his throat was catching a bit, and also aware that the whole classroom was hanging on his every word. 'Picture the worst pain you've ever experience, and then multiply it by…well, infinity I guess. It was like every single piece of me was on fire, inside and out. It was horrible and there was nothing I could do about it.'

Madam Bones nodded. 'Thank you, Mr. Potter,' she said softly. 'Mr. Black, do you have anything to add?'

Sirius shook his head. 'If James hadn't been there to help, there wouldn't have been a thing I could have done,' he muttered. 'He summed it up pretty well.'

Madam Bones nodded. 'The torture curse, as it is sometimes known, is excruciating. It will render even the most powerful witch or wizard to an absolute wreck in a matter of seconds. It is perhaps the most lethal weapon that Dark Wizards possess, as they show no qualms over employing it whenever they see fit.'

She turned back and waved her wand idly in the air. The words 'Avada Kedavara' and 'Cruciatus' appeared one over top of the other in fiery text. 'There is a third, and I wonder how many—if any—know what it is?'

Lily raised her hand from across the room. 'Ms. Evans?' Bones asked.

'The Imperius Curse,' Lily said.

Madam Bones flicked her wand again and the word 'Imperius' imposed itself into the air. 'Very good; five points for Gryffindor,' she said. 'I dare say you haven't devoted much time to the Imperius Curse, and why would you have? The Ministry itself has always—to their detriment—considered it the least problematic of the Unforgiveable Curses. Again, mind over matter is preached as a way to overcome it, but that actually has results in this case. However…even strong minds, subjected to persistent pressure, are capable of breaking. Can anyone tell me what the Imperius Curse does?'

Lily raised her hand again. 'It allows someone to control the actions of another,' she said.

Madam Bones nodded. 'Precisely. And it is precisely that which has made this curse potentially the most dangerous of the three,' she said to another whisper from around the classroom. 'The Imperius Curse can be placed upon anyone at any time. There are no outward symptoms. In fact, the person may seem to be completely normal. They can go about their daily routines, they can answer questions about themselves—but behind the façade and holding the strings is the caster of the curse. I'm sure many of you can see the properties that this curse contains which would make it useful to certain Dark Wizards,' she added. 'In these dangerous times, we are suddenly finding our strongholds infiltrated by our own friends, who are under the control of these spells.'

'Have you found any cases of this happening?' Edgar Bones asked.

'Hands up, please,' Madam Bones said with a small smile. 'But to answer your question—yes. Only recently, a mole was discovered within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement,' she said to a gasp from the class. 'Fortunately, he was discovered before anything potentially damaging could be revealed. However, that has finally brought this curse to the attention of the Ministry…although I fear we might already have more infiltrators in our midst.'

Sirius raised a hand and Madam Bones nodded at him. 'How do we protect ourselves?' he asked.

'An excellent question. I myself made several recommendations to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a man named Bartemius Crouch. He agreed with these. The most prudent, and the easiest to follow, is to never go anywhere alone.'

'Anywhere?' Sirius echoed.

'Anywhere,' Madam Bones responded.

'Even the bathroom?' Sirius asked to a chuckle from the class.

Madam Bones smiled. 'Death Eaters are not picky as to where they catch their prey, Mr. Black,' she said in a quiet voice. 'It is of the utmost important to always be on your guard. When you are most vulnerable—in your beds, in your homes, or even if you are indisposed—these are prime target opportunities for Dark Wizards.'

She let that sink in for a moment. 'Now,' she said. 'I would like each of you to work on two rolls of parchment in time for next class. Your subject is the Imperius Curse; what, if any, methods can be used to spot someone under the curse and how can it be removed.'

*

Madam Bones' class was the subject of much discussion for the rest of the day. 'Great,' Sirius muttered. 'I'm going to be sticking my head down the bog to make sure a Death Eater isn't hiding around the U-Bend.'

James roared with laughter as Remus shook his head. 'I don't think you need to go quite that far, Sirius,' he said with a chuckle. 'But it's good advice to thoroughly check out our surroundings.'

'Can they be cast through walls?' Peter asked nervously.

James shrugged. 'I don't see why not,' he said. At Peter's alarmed look, he smiled. 'We're in Hogwarts, Peter. There's all sorts of protective enchantments around the school, even more this year then there was before.'

'And all those Ministry blokes wandering around,' Sirius added as he looked out a window. 'Humorless chaps.'

James looked back down the hall to see people parting hastily—Snape, Mulciber, Avery and Regulus were marching towards them and the other students. 'By my head, here come the idiots,' Sirius said loudly in his best Shakespearean voice.

James smirked. 'By my heel, I care not,' he added as Snape stopped a few feet away from them. 'Alright Snape?' he asked.

'I know what you're doing,' Snape hissed.

'Standing by a window? Well spotted,' James replied to a snigger from Sirius. Remus shifted uncomfortably behind James.

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'I mean with Lily. If you think I'm just going to play nice with you so you can fawn all over her, you're seriously mistaken.'

'Oh come on, Snape, you can't seriously want to keep this going, can you?' James asked earnestly. 'We've both seen what we can do. Do you honestly think it will end well for you to keep this little feud going?'

Remus groaned.

Snape's eyes flashed. 'You're the only one it won't end well for,' he snarled. He turned his gaze to Remus. 'Groaning a lot there, aren't we Lupin? Maybe your time of the month is coming along?'

Remus went pale and Sirius took a step forward. 'Give it a go, Snivellus. I'd jump at the chance to re-arrange that oversized nose of yours.'

Snape smiled coldly. 'Soon,' he replied. 'And we'll see just who is re-arranging what. You'd best watch yourselves.'

With that, the Slytherins stomped off. James cast a worried glance back at Remus. 'He couldn't possible know,' he muttered.

'I hope not,' Remus mumbled miserably.

'Come on, we're going to be late for class,' Peter said urgently.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Remus had become nearly mute since their encountered with Snape in spite of Sirius and James keeping up an endless stream of encouragement. 'He's just guessing,' Sirius said confidently as they returned to the common room, the first ones back. 'There's no way he could know.'

'But what if he does?' Remus said quietly. 'What if that's how he intends to get back at us?'

James folded his arms. 'What, by telling everyone about your…' he trailed off as more students entered the room. '…er, furry little problem?' James asked. Sirius guffawed at the terminology but Remus wasn't amused.

'It fits,' he said. 'You may be all for pranks and jokes, James, but Severus seems to have more serious ends in mind.'

James chewed his lip. 'Well for starters, he has no proof. Even if he did go bleating it about the school, I don't think anyone would believe him. Second off, even if they did, you've got Dumbledore on your side. You've been here for two years now and you haven't hurt anyone,' he said in a hushed tone.

'You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing, mate,' Sirius said bracingly. 'Just relax.'

Remus sighed. 'I'm going to be worrying about this all the time now…' he muttered.

'Maybe we should throw him off the scent?' Peter suggested.

James looked at him in surprise. 'What do you mean?' he asked.

Peter looked uncomfortable under all of their gazes but he pressed on. 'Well, Remus always leaves the school at the…you know…cycle,' he said, flushing at his choice of words. 'If someone is paying attention—like Snape—then maybe if he left at different times of the month, it would throw them off.'

Sirius' eyebrows shot up. 'Not bad, Peter, you conniving little boy,' he said with a grin. 'Do you think Dumbledore would go for it, Moony?'

'It's worth a shot,' said Remus, who was looking similarly impressed. 'It would do well to deflect suspicion…I think I'll go and see if I can ask him about it now. Thanks, Peter!' he said and he hopped to his feet, leaving the common room quickly. Peter was glowing.

'Right,' James said. 'As long as he's off, we should start talking about our plans for this year,' he muttered as he pulled the book on Animagi from his bag. 'If our attempts go anything like our one this summer did…' he said with an apologetic look at Sirius, '…then we're going to need somewhere private and secluded to practice.'

Sirius thought for a moment and snapped his fingers. 'The Shrieking Shack,' he said.

'Don't be thick,' James said. 'We can't try this out when Moony's about to transform.'

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'He calls me thick, I wasn't saying we go at Moony's time of the month,' he hissed. 'All four of us can go there on any night we want! We have the cloak, we know how to stop the Willow, and we know how to get in…we'd have all the privacy we need.'

Now James looked thoughtful. 'Blimey, guys, that's two solid ideas in as many minutes. I'm impressed.'

Sirius grinned. 'When should we start?'

James glanced at the door. 'I think we'll need to practice non-verbal spell work first, because that seems to be the name of the game.'

'It's really difficult, you said?' Peter asked nervously.

'Extremely,' Sirius said.

'I'll be useless at it,' Peter muttered.

Sirius clapped him on the back. 'We're Marauders. We'll help you out, Peter,' he said encouragingly. 'Now how do we practice non-verbal spell work?'

'I have an idea. It involves lying to a teacher, though,' James said.

'I'm in,' Sirius said quickly as Peter groaned.

At the close of the following day's Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, James walked up to Madam Bones as she organized her class books. 'Look sharp, Mr. Potter; you don't want to be late for your next class,' she said, her voice in a low tone but still booming across the classroom.

'Sorry, Madam Bones, this will only be a moment—I just wanted to ask…do you offer extra lessons?' James asked.

Madam Bones looked at him in surprise. 'I wasn't aware that you found academia all that interesting, Mr. Potter,' she said.

'Well…certain parts of it, no,' James confessed. 'But there are some things I—we, that is,' he said, gesturing back to Sirius, Remus and Peter who grinned and waved nervously. 'That we would like to learn.'

Madam Bones surveyed them all. 'What did you have in mind?'

'We wanted to learn about non-verbal spell work,' James said.

Madam Bones pursed her lips. 'That is rather advanced, Mr. Potter…indeed, it doesn't enter the Hogwarts curriculum until sixth year.'

James pointed his wand at a desk beside her and concentrated hard. The desk suddenly erupted into blue flames. He concentrated again and the flames disappeared, leaving the desk untouched. Madam Bones' expression betrayed no hints of emotion one way or another. She appraised him coldly. 'Very well,' she said. 'My classroom, Monday evenings at 6 o'clock. Sharp,' she added, with a look at the others.

'Yes, Madam Bones,' they all said as one.


	5. Trials and Duels

5

With the arrival of Quidditch Trials, the school began to buzz about how last year's championship game had gone. Alice Dearborn's heroic catch of the Snitch was still a hot topic of conversation—her unorthodox leap from her own broom onto the back of a Slytherin player and then leaping into the air to catch the snitch (and subsequently being caught by Frank Longbottom herself) had been adopted into Hogwarts' legend.

'It'll be a tough act to follow,' James joked as he, Frank and Alice made their way down to the pitch. 'Any new tricks up your sleeve this year?'

Alice grinned. 'You'll just have to wait until we get back to the championship game to find out,' she said with a wink. 'You two had better have your game faces on. Dorcas sounded pretty serious about not just catering to the veterans,' she said anxiously.

'I think she's doubting us,' James said in amused tone to Frank who chuckled.

'Clearly, winning the Championship—and catching this fair dame in the process—wasn't quite good enough,' Frank said with a smirk.

Alice batted her eyelashes innocently. 'I'm just saying—let's go out there and show them we only plan to get better from here on out.'

'Sounds like a good plan,' James said bracingly and he looked towards the pitch. 'Uh oh,' he murmured. Stalking there way was Snape, surrounded by his usual gang. 'Alright, Snape?' James asked.

Snape's lip curled. 'They make you go through the trials again? I suppose they'd need to ensure that with your head as inflated as it is that you can even get off the ground,' he said to loud guffaws from his friends.

James smiled. 'Always best to stay in shape. That way we don't lose—like you.'

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'We'll see about that this year, Potter,' he said quietly. 'Just because your parents are rich and can afford to buy you the best brooms out there doesn't make you a better player than anyone else,' he said contemptuously.

'You think it's all in the broom, do you?' James asked airily.

'Are you telling me it's not?' Snape taunted.

James grinned. 'How about this. For the trials, I'll use one of the school brooms.'

Frank looked astounded. 'James, what—'

'It's alright,' James said with a grin. 'Snape here wants a lesson in humility and I am only too happy to give it to him,' he went on. 'So I'll use one of the Clean Sweeps that the school offers for flying practice.'

Frank sighed. 'I don't like this,' he muttered.

'It'll be a piece of cake,' James said with a wink at Snape as they walked past. 'Oh, and Regulas—your brother says to keep your head up.'

Regulus Black rolled his eyes and shouted a retort that was lost in the wind as James, Alice and Frank walked into the stadium. 'You weren't being serious, were you?' Alice asked earnestly. 'Dorcas won't be amused in the least—'

'Relax, my play won't suffer,' James said.

'Wish I had your confidence,' Alice muttered.

James smiled as they entered the change room. 'I've only got so much to spare, and I have to keep myself fuelled constantly. So let's do this.'

The room was, unsurprisingly, packed. Trials for the House Cup winning team were obviously a hot ticket, and James chuckled at the number of fresh-faced rookies he could see in the room. True, most of them were only a year younger than himself, but there were also several older students trying their hand at this as well. Some whom he recognized from the previous years' trials, and some who were know to this altogether.

'Guess we've had an upswing in popularity,' Frank observed.

'That's putting it delicately,' Gideon Prewett gasped as he squeezed between a few chattering third years over to them. 'I think Dorcas is mad putting us through this.'

'Her mood won't be helped much by what Potter is planning,' Alice said simply.

Fabian appeared at his twin brother's side. 'Oh, dare we ask? Any more legendary acts of mischief percolating in your mind there, James?'

James laughed. 'More of a bet with Snape,' he said. 'I'm doing to make this team using one of the clean sweeps.'

Fabian turned up his nose. 'Well, best of luck with that,' he said. 'Those things could quite easily be overtaken by stationary objects.'

They all laughed as Dorcas arrived in front of them with a clipboard in hand. 'Alright, everyone—names?'

Frank raised his eyebrows. 'Honestly?' he asked.

'I want to do this right,' Dorcas said firmly. 'And part of that includes taking a proper account of all the potential players currently in attendance. So…names?'

They all dully provided their names to her and stepped out to the Quidditch Pitch. They were assigned little yellow flags with their uniform numbers on them to differentiate themselves from the pack. 'You're actually going to do this?' Frank asked as James laid his Comet Two Sixty aside and grabbed one of the school's Clean Sweeps.

'Consider it a challenge,' James said and he kicked off from the ground.

James imagined that this must be what trying to drive a steam engine through a garden hose must feel like. It was clunky and imprecise, but he found that if he was able to get the broom moving in the direction he wanted to go in advance of actually doing so, he was reasonably mobile. Not anywhere close to Gideon and Fabian, who lightly flew alongside him.

'If this were a children's book, I think your broom would have some kind of stench-cloud hovering above it,' Fabian said with a wrinkled nose. 'Can you even fly that thing?'

'Just worry about your own games,' James said with a wink.

Dorcas quickly called things to order. She asked that the new tryouts fly around the pitch first, which allowed her to prune the weaker fliers out. She ran them through a series of drills that didn't involve a lot of high-speed or maneuverability which worked to James' advantage; but when she got to organizing the groups into teams for a scrimmage, James knew he would no longer be able to hide his broom.

'Potter, you're with these two,' she said gesturing to two fresh faced second years who were to be James' counterparts as Chasers on his team. A tall, skinny and unbelievably cocky boy named Tiberius McLaggen (whom James did not want to admit somewhat reminded him of himself), and a polite young woman named Priscilla Bell. Both were looking at James for direction.

'What sort of attack pattern should we use?' Bell asked earnestly.

McLaggen wrinkled his nose. 'What on earth are you flying?'

'I got it from your mom's closet,' James said off handedly. Bell laughed loudly and McLaggen flushed. 'Relax, it's all part of the plan. I was thinking we'd use a passive-triangle formation with…let's say you, McLaggen, at its center. That way they can fly at you and then Bell and I can converge on them and counter attack.'

'Sounds great,' Bell said quickly.

McLaggen folded his arms. 'Are you sure an aggressive diamond wouldn't be a better tactic?'

James sighed; he'd been expecting McLaggen to offer some input. He seemed like the type of young wizard who thought he knew a lot more than he did. 'Tell you what—we'll try out my way first, and if it fails, we'll adopt yours. How does that's sound?'

McLaggen grunted. Dorcas blew her whistle and they all launched into the air. James' team had few veterans on it—Alice as the seeker was the only member apart from himself from last years' team. The Prewetts, Cresswell and Frank were all on the opposing side.

Alice's friend Mary McDonald was playing Keeper for James' side, and there were two very large fifth years whom James did not know who were playing the position of Beaters.

'Hey Potter!' came a cry from the stands. 'Good luck catching the Quaffle!'

James cast a look to the side to see Snape roaring with laughter along with his little gang. James' gaze drifted up the stands to spot Sirius, Remus and Peter clapping earnestly as he rose into the air. Lily was sitting with them, as was Marlene McKinnon. James' heart swelled, but also filled with dread somewhat—he was regretting swapping broomsticks.

Dorcas was opting to sit on the sidelines for this part of the trial so she could survey the players better. She blew the whistle and the quaffle launched into play. James lurched his Clean sweep back so he could watch the play unfold. He watched as Frank launched up and grabbed the quaffle, instantly spotting Cresswell with a crisp pass.

Having been their teammate for the previous year, James guessed what tactic they'd use. He plunged backwards with his broom and brought himself around in a long loop to flank McLaggen in a passive triangle, although McLaggen was shouting something unintelligible at Bell.

'Focus, McLaggen!' James bellowed. He leaned forward and intercepted a pass from Cresswell to Frank, and again regretted swapping brooms. Under normal circumstances, he would have been in an ideal position to race forward between the Prewetts and in alone on the keeper, but his broom was so slow he was quickly being overtaken by Frank.

'Sorry, James!' came Fabian's yell as he batted a bludger at him.

James set his jaw. Time to show Snape some moves. He stood precariously on his broom and leapt gracefully into the air, allowing the bludger to soar under him. Frank dove to strike at him but James allowed himself to fall under his broom, curling his arm around it as he went so he swung back up onto the top side after Frank had whistled by. He then jerked hard to the side to avoid a bodycheck attempt by Gideon and found himself alone in front of the hoops. He picked carefully and whipped the quaffle forward, ringing it off the inside of the center hoop for a goal.

'Unbelievable,' laughed Frank as he flew by.

'Potter, what the hell are you flying!' Dorcas bellowed from below.

'Are you objecting to me scoring?' James called back.

Dorcas looked livid. 'This isn't a time for challenges!' she shouted back.

'Defense, Potter!' came McLaggen's voice and James inwardly cursed him as he hauled his broom back towards his own zone. Frank was hurtling in on the two big fifth year beaters, who swatted helplessly at him before Frank whipped the quaffle at the left most hoop. James was greatly surprised to see McDonald launch over and make the save. He cursed inwardly once more when she whipped the quaffle right back to him.

'Potter, I'm open!' McLaggen shouted, but he was anything but. The Prewetts were directly above and below him respectively, waiting to pounce. James spotted Priscilla Bell streaking in on the far side and launched the quaffle just before he received a solid bodycheck from Cresswell. James righted himself in time to see Bell throw the quaffle through the hoop for another goal.

James made sure to fly past a now quiet Snape on his way back to the defensive zone. 'Taking notes?' he called. He heard a roar of laughter from Sirius as Snape and his cronies shouted obscenities up at him. He spared a look at Lily who had pursed her lips in a disapproving facial expression.

The scrimmage went on for a short while longer before Alice caught the snitch, giving James' side the victory. He and his teammates touched down. He had been quite impressed with the efforts of Priscilla Bell and Mary McDonald. He made a mental note to remember their names for future tryouts.

'Nice work, Potter,' Dorcas said in a tight voice. 'If you try flying one of those during an actual match, I will re-arrange you into so many tiny pieces that all the kings horses and all the kings men won't be able to put you back together again,' she said.

James laughed. 'Easy, Captain—I was just showing up the Slytherins,' he said with a nod towards the receding forms of Snape, Regulus, Mulciber and Avery, who were making a hasty exit from the stands. 'Mental warfare.'

Dorcas looked somewhat mollified. 'Be that as it may,' she said in a softer tone. 'No more stunts please.'

'As you wish,' James said. Frank and Alice strolled over, both shaking their heads at him in equal parts amusement and admonishment. 'Oh come on; I had a pretty strong game, you have to admit,' James said lightly as they headed towards the dressing rooms.

'That you did,' Frank said. 'I went easy on you a few times, though—just so you could rub it in the Slytherins' faces,' he added with a wink.

'You're a good friend, Frank,' James chuckled.

'I thought Mary had a great game,' Alice said excitedly. 'She could be a candidate to replace Dorcas next year!'

James and Frank both nodded. 'We'll have to remember her.'

After showering and changing, James began to make his way out of the pitch. Sirius, Remus and Peter were waiting for him outside the stadium, laughing loudly. 'Oi, there he is!' Sirius called. 'What on earth were you flying out there, James?'

'Clean sweep,' James said nonchalantly. 'Snape said it was all in the broom; I showed him otherwise.'

Sirius laughed. 'Nice. I wondered why he left in such a hurry,' he said with a malicious laugh.

Remus sighed. 'That might also explain why Lily left n such a hurry,' he observed.

James shrugged. 'No harm was done. Snape challenged me to do something that didn't involve hexing or humiliating him and I did—how can she take offense to that?'

Remus shook his head, but he was smiling. 'I guess it's progress,' he said.

James didn't have time to answer. He suddenly felt a great force strike him in the chest, launching him into the air and sending him flying backwards. He went right past a stunned Sirius and hit the ground hard, tumbling and rolling to a stop.

'You!' he heard Sirius snarl.

'Yes, I,' came Snape's voice and James lifted his head to see Snape and his friends coming out from behind various trees and rocks. 'No teachers to intervene, no friends to protect you. Four aside. Fancy a little duel?'

'With pleasure,' Sirius called, drawing his wand.

'Wait!' James called. Sirius turned to look at him incredulously. Remus and Peter had slowly drawn their wands, given the fact that all of Snape's compatriots had theirs out. 'Come on—let's just forget it and call it a day, shall we?' James huffed as he hauled himself to his feet.

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'Taking the coward's way out, Potter?' he jeered to laughter from Avery.

'Hardly,' James said. 'It's just there's so many times I can humiliate you before it becomes somewhat old hat, if you get my drift,' he said.

Remus closed his eyes. 'For the love of…' he muttered.

'Allow me to press the issue,' Snape said and he slashed his wand. James hurled himself aside to dodge the small, hearing it whistle past the space he had moments ago occupied as he did so. He heard Sirius roar with anger and charge forward, swinging and swiping his wand while yelling spells indiscriminately.

'I've got him!' Regulus yelled, leaping into Sirius' path. It was an ill advised move as Sirius instantly hit him with 'Impedimenta', causing Regulus to look absurdly spread eagled before he keeled over onto the ground.

'Look out, Peter!' Remus yelled as he dove aside, but a spell cast by Avery struck Peter in the midsection. He was wrenched up into the air by his ankle so that his robe fell down over his head. Remus hurled a spell back at Avery with his wand, the speed of which caught the latter off guard. Avery was spun around and sent crashing to the ground as Remus vaulted back to his feet in time to cry 'Protego!' as a hex from Mulciber came his way, deflecting off the shield charm he had just cast.

Sirius charged after Avery, leaving Remus and Mulciber to duel. With Regulus and Peter incapacitated, that left James and Snape to circle each other.

'What's the matter, Potter? Don't fancy a fair fight?' Snape taunted.

James' eyes narrowed. 'Just leave it alone. This doesn't have to be a fight,' he said.

Snape snorted. 'I already said, I know what you're doing,' he snarled. 'And I'm not going to let you trick Lily into thinking you're some sort of saint.'

'There's no trickery needed,' James said, acutely aware of Sirius sending Avery flying into a tree in the background just as Remus sent Mulciber spinning to the dirty. 'And you're now outnumbered.'

Snape turned his head to see Sirius and Remus walking back over. 'I think that's enough,' Remus said in an even tone. 'The fight is over.'

Snape turned back to James. 'I disagree,' he said. He flicked his wand and James only just countered the non-verbal curse in time with a quickly uttered shield charm. Snape flicked his wand again and James had to once again shout out a shield charm. The fact that Snape was skilled in non-verbal spellwork was a surprise to James, but as they continued going back and forth, James found himself able to anticipate what Snape was trying to do. He tried a few of the hexes they'd been taught in school, but also tried several James had never anticipated—they caused his arm to go numb when he cast his shield charms against them.

'James?' Sirius called hesitantly as he and Snape flashed back and forth.

'I'm fine!' James yelled.

Snape sneered. 'That's not so true, is it Potter?' he taunted as he deflected a stunning spell James sent his way. 'Not so big and tough when you're one-on-one?'

James smiled. 'I'll admit it, you're better than I thought,' he said.

'Still so cocky?' Snape taunted.

'Hark who's talking,' James grunted as he deflected another unknown spell and cast two quick stunning spells in succession. Snape deftly blocked the first one and barely got the second, and thus was unprepared for James' third spell. 'Expelliarmus!' James called and Snape's wand flew into the air into James' outstretched hand. Snape looked pale as he sank to his knees.

'Nice work, James,' Sirius laughed as he strolled over.

'I think the point has been made,' Remus said as he helped Peter to his feet.

'I agree,' James said as Sirius looked disappointed. He tossed Snape his wand. 'Until next time, Snape,' he said. 'Let's go, guys.'

James was halfway through turning away when Snape slashed his wand once more. James was struck in the side of the face but was unable to yell out—his tongue had somehow become glued to the top of his mouth. He did, however, hear Sirius's stunning spell smack James in the side of the head. Sirius then shouted 'levicorpus' and Snape went sailing into the air.

'Stop!' came Lily Evans' voice and James looked up to see she and Marlene McKinnon running down the hillside. 'Leave him alone!' she called.

'He just hexed James!' Sirius said hotly, pointing his wand threateningly at Snape.

'Did Potter hex him first?' Lily asked angrily.

'No,' Sirius shouted while Snape shouted 'yes' at the same time.

Lily looked at James. 'Do you have anything to say for yourself?' she asked. James tried to answer, but his tongue wouldn't let him. He looked angrily at Snape who smirked. 'What about you, Remus?' Lily asked in a softer tone.

'I would say Snape started things,' Remus said.

'Of course you would,' snapped Snape.

'You just couldn't take being shown up on the pitch!' Sirius snarled.

'Oh, I forgot—Potter's personal cheer leader,' Snape yelled from his position upside down into the air.

Sirius flicked his wand and Snape was placed under a tickle charm. He began to laugh uncontrollably. Marlene laughed in spite of herself, earning her a reproachful look from Lily who flicked her own wand. 'Finite incantatem,' she said calmly and Snape fell to the ground. 'Fix Potter, please,' she said coldly.

'Certainly not,' Snape said curtly. 'He deserved it.'

Lily's eyes narrowed. 'I said fix it,' she said in a deadly tone.

All eyes turned to Snape who relented. He flicked a wand at James and his tongue unglued itself. Snape stormed off towards his comrades, helping them to their feet as he went. With one last malignant look at James, he stormed off back to the castle.

'So what actually happened?' Lily addressed the question to Remus.

Remus shrugged. 'He and his friends were here and spoiling for a fight,' he said. 'We defended ourselves. Snape and James dueled and James won—Snape hit him with…whatever that was.'

'And then Sirius defended me,' James added.

'Was that your own spell?' Marlene asked Sirius in an appreciative tone.

Sirius smiled at her. 'I'm kind of wishing it was,' he said in a slick voice that James had never heard him use before.

'Honestly, Evans,' James said. 'I didn't want to fight.'

Lily sighed. 'Why do I get the feeling you and Sev are going to be the death of me,' she muttered as she turned back towards the castle.


	6. Nightmares and Hair

6

Mrs. Potter had been batted aside by a jinx, and James knew one terrifying moment as the whirring mechanical eye gleamed in the darkness at him before that silky, sadistic voice uttered the word 'Crucio', and James' world became nothing but pain—

He awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily, and he thought for a second he had been awoken by the sound of a rhythmic pounding. He shook himself awake as he realized once again that it was his own heart pounding in his ears. He sat up straight in the bed, realizing that he was drenched in a cold sweat. He glanced at the alarm clock outside of his four poster—it was only 2:30 in the morning. He had slept for barely an hour and a half after the excitement of the Quidditch Trials.

They had eaten heartily at dinner before returning to the Gryffindor Common Room. James was upbeat as Lily had not acted overly cross with him, accepting Remus' version of events as gospel. James made a mental note to keep Remus nearby him at all times, as Lily seemed to trust him—a luxury that did not seem to extend to James.

The evening had also been marked by an amusing show of affection from Lily's friend Marlene towards Sirius. Sirius had clearly reveled in the attention, sweeping his hand through his wavy black hair on numerous occasions to many adoring looks from Marlene. He had done this until Remus pointed out it was exactly what James did with his hair to give it that windswept look—Sirius had muttered in an embarrassed tone and ceased doing it altogether.

They had finally gone to sleep around 1, and now James found himself unable to feel tired—the events of the previous year's attack on his home still haunted him.

He silently rose out of the bed and padded out of his dormitory into the common room. He didn't register any shock at the site of Lily sitting by the fire, quietly reading a book. He made his way down the staircase, not taking care to be silent, and she noticed him as he reached the bottom. 'You're up late,' she observed as she marked her page and closed her book.

James shrugged. 'Couldn't fall back asleep,' he said.

Lily took in the sight of him and frowned. 'Are you ill? You're all sweaty,' she said.

'Bad dreams,' James said simply and her face became sympathetic. 'What's got you awake at this hour?' he asked.

Lily shrugged. 'Lots on my mind,' she said. 'I guess it's kind of like you. I don't dream much, but when everyone's asleep and it's all gone quiet, I dwell on things,' she said. 'The Death Eaters coming into my house…the train…' she trailed off.

'What do you remember about the train?' James asked.

Lily sighed. 'I remember it going off the rails and then nothing until we were back at King's Cross,' she said. 'Sev told me I'd taken a bad blow to the head.'

'It was pretty bad,' James shuddered at the memory of blood pouring down her face. 'He did a pretty amazing job of patching you up.'

'You see, he's not all bad,' Lily said earnestly.

James chuckled. 'I'm the one who's trying,' he said. 'I could have hexed him six ways from Sunday, and when I chose not to, he hit me with…whatever that was,' he muttered.

'Langlock, by the look of it,' Lily chuckled. At James' quizzical look, she leaned forward. 'Sev is actually very talented. He sometimes invents spells.'

James' eyebrows shot up. That was a remarkably talented thing to do, although he was loathe to admit it. 'Like what?' he asked.

Lily shrugged. 'Well, langlock was one of them. He used it for the first time before we even came to Hogwarts…Petunia—that's my sister—was being cruel one day and he'd had enough of her taunting me. He cast the spell…it really gave her a scare. He reversed it almost right away and I was quite mad at the time, but in retrospect, it was pretty amusing,' she said with a bashful smile.

James shook his head. 'I can see how that would be handy,' he said. 'He really treats you well, doesn't he?'

'When we're not at school, yeah,' Lily muttered. 'It's like I said last year—this place seems to bring out the worst in him.'

'Does it make you worried that one of his friends went dark side so fast?' James asked hesitantly.

'You mean Malfoy?' Lily asked. James nodded. 'Yeah,' she said. 'All of his friends make me worried. Mulciber is such a…he's a psychopath, I think. Avery is a vicious sort too. I think Regulus Black idolizes them…he doesn't seem as mean spirited as the rest.' She paused for a moment. 'He reminds me a little of Peter, really.'

'What?' James barked. 'How so?' he added in a quieter voice.

Lily shrugged. 'Well, Peter obviously likes you all a great deal. You and Remus are pretty kind to him, but Sirius can be a little brutal sometimes. But Peter just takes it all in—he's just happy to be friends with the coolest kids in the school.'

'Aha,' James said with a grin. 'So you admit that I'm pretty cool?'

'Popular perception does not make reality,' Lily said with a smirk.

'Peter doesn't have a mean bone in his body,' James said, going back to the subject at hand. 'Regulus obviously does.'

Lily shrugged. 'I think he just does whatever the cool kids want him too. He thinks Sev, Mulciber and Avery are really something, so he tries to fit in. It's not all that different from Peter,' she said. 'Really, what does he have in common with you? He's not a particularly strong student, he's not a Quidditch player, he doesn't seem to enjoy hexing people and dueling…'

'He's a friend,' James said defensively. 'We don't have to like the same things to be friends.'

Lily raised her arms. 'I'm not attacking him, I'm just saying I can see a similarity between him and Regulus. And it's more so to point out that I don't think he's all that bad…you might just be jaded because of Sirius' experiences with him.'

James sighed. 'Maybe,' he said. 'But he certainly seems to have more of his parents in him than Sirius does.'

Lily considered that. 'Maybe,' she said. 'But the way someone acts when they're twelve doesn't dictate the way they'll be for the rest of their lives.'

James laughed. 'So you think there's hope for me yet?'

Lily chuckled. 'Why does this all come back to you?' she muttered.

James stared at the fire. 'Are you excited to go to Hogsmeade?' he asked, keeping his tone conversational as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

'Yes,' Lily said excitedly. 'The only all-wizard place I've been to is Diagon Alley. It will be very interesting to see another village.'

James cleared his throat. 'Would you like to maybe go with me? We could get a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks,' he said in his most confident tone.

Lily appraised him sympathetically. 'I don't think that would be such a good idea,' she said quietly.

'Why not?' James asked.

'Potter,' she sighed. 'It would make my friendship with Sev extraordinarily difficult if I went to Hogsmeade to hang out with you rather than him.'

James blinked. 'Well…I appreciate the honesty, in any event,' he muttered. 'So you're going with Sev?' he asked.

'It's not like that, before you start thinking of it,' she said quickly. 'He's my friend and we don't get to see too much of each other in school. We already agreed in the summer to spend time together in Hogsmeade. You're welcome to join us, though,' she said.

James laughed. 'I somehow get the impression that I wouldn't be too welcome to him.'

She pursed her lips. 'I suppose not,' she said. 'But the effort counts.'

'For what?' James muttered. 'It seems like as long as you two are friends, there's not much for hope for us having much of a friendship.'

Lily shrugged. 'The way someone acts when they're twelve doesn't dictate the way they'll be for the rest of their lives,' she repeated.

'I guess that's something,' James said.

'I think so too,' Sirius said from right behind them, causing Lily to jump several feet in the air. 'Why are you still awake?' he demanded in a cranky voice.

'How long have you been there?' James asked.

'Just a few minutes. I woke up and you were gone—so I came to check on you,' Sirius said as he sat down on the couch next to him.

'You're still waking up every hour to check on me?' James asked in bewilderment.

'Of course,' Sirius replied. 'What are brothers for?'

Lily smiled at them. 'That's really very sweet,' she said. 'You might want to keep your voice down, though—if Marlene hears it, she might come down to visit.'

'Don't you like her?' James asked, ignoring that Sirius sat up a little straighter and was fighting to keep a smile off his face at the mention of her.

'I like her a lot, I just think she fancies Sirius,' Lily said as she opened her book again.

'Now you've done it,' James muttered as Sirius grinned.

'I'm a babe magnet, what can I say?' Sirius said with his best roguish grin.

James sighed. 'At least you're wearing a robe this time,' he said, trying to suppress the mental image of the previous year when Sirius had interrupted he and Lily in nothing but his underwear. 'And you always called me a prat for mussing my hair.'

'That's because when you do it you look like a prat,' Sirius said to a laugh from Lily. 'I make it look cool.'

'You make it look like you're a child's doll,' James observed to more laughter from Lily.

'You're just jealous that my hair doesn't look like it was stuck down a toilet,' Sirius shot back.

'No, yours looks like something that was scraped off of the road and glued to your head. I don't know whether to throw some shampoo at or it bury it in the forest,' James replied with a grin.

Lily was laughing loudly now as Sirius and James went back and forth good naturedly, each insult more creative than the next. She finally looked at her watch and sighed. 'It's getting late,' she said. 'I should get going to bed.'

'Aw come on, I was just warming up to have a go at your hair,' Sirius joked.

Lily's eyes narrowed. 'And what exactly would you have to say about my hair?' she asked in a deadly voice.

Sirius snapped to attention. 'Er…that it's…very lovely,' he said.

Lily smiled. 'Thank you. Good night,' she said a sickly sweet voice as she took the stairs up to the dormitory.

'Coward,' James said as Sirius rolled his eyes.

'You try insulting her and see how she looks. It's like you can see her visualizing your own death,' Sirius said with a shudder as James chuckled. 'We should get to bed too.'

James sighed. 'I suppose it's worth a try,' he muttered.

'Rochefort again?' Sirius asked quietly.

'Yeah,' James muttered.

Sirius contemplated for a moment. 'On second thought, who needs sleep? Let's go for a stroll.'

'Where to?' James asked, delighted by the idea. 'Wait, let me guess—you're craving an eclaire,' he said with a grin.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. 'You really do know me too well. Come on, let's go,' he said with a chuckle.

After a quick excursion to the dormitory to grab the Marauder's Map and James' Invisibility Cloak, they set off through the castle. They took care to avoid Filch and Mrs. Norris on the way down to the painting of the bowl of fruit, which they arrived at without incident. After gaining entry, they laid their magical instruments aside and gratefully accepted helpings of food from the house elves.

'So what were you and Lily talking about?' Sirius said through a mouthful of chicken. 'I was quiet this time—didn't want to interrupt anything good,' he said with a wink.

James sighed. 'I don't think I've got any chance, anyway—even if I am nice to Sev,' he said bitterly. He explained the conversation with Lily and Sirius sighed.

'I don't know what she sees in that greasy git,' Sirius said bracingly. 'But if she's not going to change her mind about you anyway, we can always go back to our proverbial chess match with him.'

James snorted. 'I think that would make things demonstrably worse if I did.'

'So? Don't get caught,' Sirius said.

James raised his eyebrows. 'And just how would I do that?' he asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'Come on, James—we pulled the most legendary prank in the history of the school last year. Haven't you considered, even for a moment, what we could do for an encore? No one was able to pin that on us last year.'

'True, but that didn't stop Lily from going up one side of my head and down the other,' James said, absent mindedly running his hand over his cheek where she had slapped him the previous year.

Sirius shrugged. 'I've been thinking of some ideas, and I think I have a pretty good one…IF you were interested,' he said with a mischievous grin.

'You have my attention,' James said nonchalantly. 'I'll hear it out at least.'

Sirius detailed the idea that he had been forming for a few weeks. James listened with growing excitement—it was true that Lily would still more than likely be cross with him, but it was innocent enough in theory and she would have no way of connecting him to it. Quite the opposite, it may well make Snape look like he was desperately trying to pin it on James.

'I do have to say, that's a pretty conniving plan,' James said. 'How long would it take to prepare?'

'The only hard part is the potion,' Sirius said as he reached for an eclaire. 'But I think we could handle that. It would mean nicking an ingredient or two from ol' Sluggie,' he added, referencing Professor Slughorn, the Potions Master.

James rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'Or we could just ask,' he said. 'He does give lots of things to students whom he considers to be up and comers.'

Sirius laughed. 'And you think you're one of them?'

James shrugged. 'Worth a shot,' he said with a grin. 'Come on—finish that eclaire and then we'll go back upstairs and figure out how to ask him.'

'So you're in?' Sirius said with a bright grin.

James grinned back. 'Marauders always have each other's backs, Sirius,' he said brightly.


	7. Cheats and Luck

7

James and Sirius did not go back to sleep that night, but rather gathered their robes and school supplies and sat in the common room to wait for everyone else to wake up. Remus was the first, arriving shortly before the sun rose, and Peter managed to haul himself down the staircase to their dormitory a few minutes before class was to begin.

'Who do we have first today?' Peter yawned.

'McGonagall,' Remus replied as they made their way to Transfiguration class. As part of the swap that saw them now sharing Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs, they now shared Transfiguration with the Slytherins. James fought off a grimace as he saw Snape and Lily sitting together, with Snape telling her something that was making her laugh.

Sirius snorted. 'I'm sensing a double standard here, mate,' he muttered darkly. 'He's allowed to hex you and she laughs it off the next day? You might be wasting your time.'

Remus pursed his lips. 'It's more complicated than that,' he said.

'Oh come off it, Moony,' Sirius snapped. 'You were part of that too. You can't tell me he didn't start it all.'

'No, I suppose not,' Remus sighed. 'Would it be too much to hope, however, that we could focus on class?'

It proved an arduous task for James, who had to put up with Snape sneaking him malevolently smug looks as he sat next to Lily. James sighed and tried to focus on the task at hand—turning a small statue of a dragon into an actual living dragon.

'Just put your mind to it and you'll do fine,' Remus muttered quietly.

'Yeah, James, don't let Snivelly get to you,' Peter whispered bracingly, although James harbored a suspicion that Peter wanted him to succeed so he could figure out how to copy the spell work correctly.

James sighed, twirled his wand and prodded the statue. 'Draconifors,' he said firmly and it turned into a small dragon.

'Well done, Potter,' said an obviously impressed McGonagall. James cast a glance back along the room at Lily and Snape—Lily was looking at him in amazement and Snape was scowling. James prodded the dragon and it spat a small fireball across the table which quickly dissipated into the air. 'Take twenty points for Gryffindor. Have you been practicing your Transfiguration skills, Potter?' she asked.

James could feel Sirius, Remus and Peter all staring at him. 'Er—yes, at every opportunity,' he said.

McGonagall's eyebrows nearly receded into her hair line. 'I had heard,' she said in a quieter voice. 'That you approached Madam Bones for extra lessons in Defense?'

'Yes,' James said.

'Well,' McGonagall said and she suddenly had a very funny facial expression. 'Take another five points for Gryffindor, Mr. Potter. It is nice to see you taking your studies seriously.' She began to move away when she stopped and looked back. 'And my door is always open should you wish to have extra Transfiguration lessons.'

'Think she's jealous?' Sirius chortled as they left the classroom what seemed like an eternity later. 'Maybe she thinks she's being shown up by the new teacher.'

'I doubt that,' Remus said. 'She seemed...well, proud of you,' he said in amazement.

James shrugged. 'Transfiguration is too easy. I only wish we were able to study Animagi in class,' he muttered.

'Keep your voice down,' Remus implored.

'We're off to Potions now,' Sirius said in a meaningful voice. James caught his eye and nodded; this did not go unnoticed by Remus, whose eyes narrowed.

'What are you two doing?' he said slowly.

Sirius shrugged. 'Nothing, just a little bit of Marauder business. Are you game?'

'Marauders always have each other's backs,' Peter reminded Remus who ran a hand through his hair in irritation.

'What exactly am I signing up for?' he said in a resigned voice.

James laughed. 'Relax, Moony—the less you know the better. Nothing's going to happen for a while, anyway…we have a lot of planning to do.'

They entered the dungeons and Professor Horace Slughorn's rotund form greeted them. 'Ah, if it isn't the suddenly academically adept James Potter,' he said with a heaving grin. 'I wonder if your skill will translate to potionery?'

James looked confused. 'I thought I was doing alright in Potions?'

'Certainly alright, m'boy,' Slughorn said cheerily. 'But no one has been able to hold a candle to our two master potioneers, Ms. Evans and Mr. Snape,' he said with a nod as the two entered the room behind him. 'Perhaps some competition will be good for the spirit, here.'

The other students came in and sat down, listening with rapt attention as Slughorn beamed out over them all. 'I have a challenge for you all today. Are any of you aware of the properties of a little devil called Felix Felicis?'

Lily gasped audibly and Snape sat up stiffly in his chair. James observed this and then looked back at Slughorn who had evidently noticed the same thing. 'Ms. Evans?'

'It's liquid luck,' she said quickly.

The class murmured as Slughorn bounced on his heels. 'Five points to Gryffindor, and there's some points in it for Slytherin if Mr. Snape can tell me the drawbacks?'

'It can cause giddiness, recklessness and overconfidence if used in excess,' Snape said quickly. 'But it virtually guarantees that you will succeed in all of your endeavors for the duration of the dosage you take.'

'Excellent, excellent, take ten points for Slytherin,' Slughorn beamed. 'I have here a small vial of Felix Felicis,' he said, producing a small, tear drop-shaped glass filled with golden liquid. 'I usually save this for my seventh years, but I have been inspired today,' he said with a smile at James, 'to let you lot have a try. This is to be a creative day—divide yourself into pairs, and then whip me up your most creative potions. The winners shall receive little Felix here. Begin!'

Snape and Lily bolted immediately bolted to the supplies cupboard. James and Sirius exchanged a glance, silently acknowledged that they would be partners and tore into their book to look for a suitable potion to brew. James flicked to a page that caught his eye and pointed it out to Sirius who nodded at once and flew off to the cupboards with the book as James hauled his cauldron onto the table. He cast a quick glance at Lily and Snape to see they were already adding ingredients to their own.

Sirius came back in an awful hurry, surprising Remus and Peter who had not even selected a potion yet.

'What's first?' Sirius demanded.

'Three ounces of dragon's blood and two strands of unicorn hair, stewed to a low boil,' James ready quietly. Sirius opened the small vial of dragon's blood he had procured from the cupboard and poured three ounces carefully as James lit a fire beneath the cauldron. Sirius then carefully plucked two strands of unicorn hair and added them to the mix.

James stirred it carefully as it began to bubble slowly. 'Now two crushed shards of goblin-made-metal,' he said. 'Crushed into as many small pieces as you can, and then we need to turn up the heat,' he said.

'How the hell am I supposed to crush goblin-made metal? Isn't it supposed to be indestructible?' he asked.

James hadn't considered that. He chewed his lip. He highly doubted that Slughorn would be willing to give advice as this was a competition to be won on merit. James quickly whipped through the pages of the book. 'Are you sure it's not the amour that's indestructible, and not the metal?'

Sirius slapped his forehead. 'Right,' he muttered and he took out his flat knife, crushing the metal into shards and adding it. James muttered with his wand and the flames danced beneath their cauldron, heating their potion to a high degree. James cast a glance over at Snape and Lily who clearly had their game faces on—Lily had used what appeared to be a lock of her own hair, and Snape was rapidly stirring their cauldron in clockwise and counter clockwise motions.

'Now what?' Sirius asked.

'One fifth of a bezoar,' James asked. Sirius used his flat knife again to chip off a section of bezoar which he then beat into powder with the blade of his knife. He swept it into his palm and dumped it into the potion, which James stirred. 'Now we settle it back to a simmer,' he muttered, reducing the height of the flames so the potion tempered.

'Are you sure this is going to work?' Sirius hissed.

'We'll do better than most of the class, I reckon,' James whispered back. 'It's Snape and Lily I'm worried about.'

Sirius pursed his lips. He cast a glance at Slughorn, then around the room, and then back over at Lily and Snape. He pointed his wand at their cauldron and muttered something quickly. Nothing seemed to happen, and Sirius went instantly back to work.

James fought off an urge to smack him. 'What are you doing?' he hissed.

Sirius shrugged. 'Did you see anything happen?' he asked.

James cast a glance back at their cauldron and shook his head, returning to their work. A few moments later, however, it became evident what Sirius had done.

'Sev! The cauldron's cracked!' Lily's voice suddenly called shrilly.

James looked up to see Snape trying to repair the cauldron but it suddenly broke apart, spilling the contents of their boiling hot potion all over the desk. It might have been salvageable were it not for the fact that it rolled overtop of many of their raw ingredients. Lily groaned as Snape quickly re-sealed their cauldron and levitated their potion's contents into the air and back into it.

'Bad luck, bad luck,' Slughorn was saying. 'Careful maintenance of one's cauldron is of the utmost importance for a good potioneer,' he said.

Lily looked distraught as Snape furiously worked on their potion. James looked at Sirius who was smirking as he madly added ingredients to their list.

Finally, Slughorn waved a wand and all the fires died. 'Alright, let's have a look,' he said. He went from cauldron to cauldron, sniffing admirably in some cases and in others looking like he was resisting a distinct urge to vomit. He performed the latter when coming over Remus and Peter's cauldron—whatever potion they had made more or less resembled a human brain sitting at the bottom of their cauldron.

He passed over Snape and Lily's and gave a strong look of approval. 'Especially in light of your cauldron failure, this Despair Potion looks almost perfect. A very advanced potion, you two, well done,' he said.

James bit his lip. He had a feeling it would come down to him against Lily. Slughorn walked over to their potion and raised his eyes in amazement. 'Black Fire potion? It certainly looks good, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black…but let's up the wager to win the prize,' he said, flicking his wand back towards his desk. A wall of black flames appeared in front of it, causing most of the class to gasp. 'If one of you is willing to try your potion and walk through the fire—successfully—then Felix is yours.'

James and Sirius looked at each other nervously. James nodded and stood. 'I'll give it a go,' he said.

Slughorn summoned a vial over and Sirius ladled a bit of their potion into it. 'Are you sure? I don't know if I got enough of the bezoar in—' he hissed.

'I trust you,' James said firmly and he took a long swig of the potion. Without looking at anyone he walked determinedly towards the black fire, having a fleeting thought of the Cruciatus Curse and wondering if this would hurt any worse if their potion did not work.

But James walked through it suddenly, an icy feeling of calm all over his body as he did so, and he emerged unscathed on the other side. He then walked back through to see Slughorn beaming at him, and the rest of the class looking envious. Snape looked like the vein in his forehead was about to burst.

'Well done!' Slughorn cried. 'Your winners, ladies and gentlemen—James Potter and Sirius Black!' He clapped enthusiastically, and was joined somewhat half heartedly by Remus and Peter. The rest of the class looked distinctly put out. 'And here you two go—one vial, as promised. Split between the two of you, it is good for half a day each of perfect luck,' he said with a grin.

James motioned for Sirius to accept it which he did with an awestruck look on his face. Class ended and Snape stormed out, leaving Lily to gather their supplies. James moved over to help her.

'Impressive,' she said curtly as she tried to clean.

James waved his wand, sending their discarded supplies into a garbage bin. 'We got lucky,' he said. 'How did you crack your cauldron?'

'It was Sev's. He's always chastising me for not caring for mine enough, and I think he's scared I'm going to say I told you so,' she muttered.

James laughed. 'Aren't you?'

'Now that he's left me to clean up this mess, I'm sorely tempted,' she muttered. 'Congratulations, Potter,' she said again and she gathered her things to leave the classroom. James turned to Sirius who nodded with a meaningful glare towards Slughorn. James nodded and walked over.

'Professor,' James asked.

'Ah, James, my dear boy—just the man I wanted to see. I'm not sure if you are aware that I host a monthly party in honor of some of my more distinguished students,' he said with a grin. 'I was hoping you and Mr. Black would join me next time?'

James blinked. 'Oh—certainly,' he said with an unsure glance at Sirius who shrugged. 'But I also wanted to ask…we're practicing some potion work outside of class, and we were wondering if we could have access to some of your ingredients?'

'Of course, my boy, of course,' Slughorn said easily, handing James a small key. 'You are welcome to take anything at your leisure.'

James was astounded—he had not expected this to be this easy. 'Are you sure?' he stammered to an incredulous look from Sirius.

'But of course! This is all purely academic, isn't it?' Slughorn asked.

'Right. Yes. Of course. Well. I need to be off now—classes,' James said excitedly. Slughorn nodded and waved and James took off out of the classroom at a near run. He and Sirius jumped up and high fived each other in the corridor as Remus and Peter watched with grins.

'That was quite ironic,' Remus observed as they walked along.

'What was?' Sirius asked innocently.

'Snape's cauldron splitting in two was a stroke of luck for you,' Remus said with a penetrating stare at Sirius who didn't blink. 'One might say it was a bit too much of a coincidence,' he added.

'Are you accusing me of something?' Sirius asked.

'Come off it, you two, we won the potion, let's move on,' James said.

Remus folded his arms. 'You forgot the 'fair and square' part,' he said.

Sirius shrugged. 'Maybe it's just Snape being a git and it catching up with him,' he said in a somewhat irritable tone. 'Just forget about it, Moony.'

'If you cheated, you should give it to Lily and Severus,' Remus said hotly.

'And who says we cheated?' Sirius retorted.

'No secrets amongst friends,' James chided. 'Yes, Remus,' he added with a look around. 'We cheated. We cracked Snape's cauldron. He deserved it, end of story.'

Remus looked scandalized, but Peter was impressed. 'Nice trickery,' he said in a flattering tone.

'No it isn't! It's underhanded!' Remus said.

'And him ganging up and attacking us wasn't?' James demanded.

Remus threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. 'Are you going to rat us out?' Sirius asked.

'Don't be thick, of course I'm not,' Remus said angrily. 'But you two could easily do with a little understanding of why rules exist in the first place.'

'To be broken, of course,' Sirius said with a grin. At a deathly glare from Remus, Sirius laughed. 'Come on, Moony. What if I shared some of my bit with you? Hm? We'll each have a little bit of luck together.'

Remus sighed but looked somewhat mollified. 'When do you plan to take it?'

James and Sirius looked at each other and shrugged. 'Guess we'll have to think about it,' James said.

'You should save it for something really important,' Remus said. 'I wouldn't let that bottle out of your sight…it could be even handier than you realize.'

'What do you mean?' Sirius asked.

'Well,' Remus said darkly. 'If Rochefort and his gang come after you again, it could be a very useful tool to have.'

James grimaced. 'Good point, well made,' he muttered.

'See? Aren't you glad we cheated?' Sirius said with a slap to Remus' back as they headed for their next class.


	8. Whispers and Dates

8

The first extra lesson with Madam Bones reminded James somewhat eerily of the Occlumency lessons he had experienced with Professor Mondego the previous year. Much like Mondego, Madam Bones had done away with the desks that usually filled the classroom and laid out some items on the ground. Instead of chalk circles, however, she had conjured two fluffy mattresses which lay several meters apart from each other.

'This doesn't bode well for me,' Peter groaned to a chuckle from Remus.

'Right, let's get started,' Madam Bones boomed. 'We are already familiar with the basics of a non-verbal spell, but let's do a quick summary. Mr. Lupin, what is the benefit of such a spell?'

'In what context?' Remus asked smartly.

Madam Bones smiled. 'Let's say dueling,' she said.

Remus nodded. 'Your opponent will not know which spell you are casting, giving you a split second advantage.'

Madam Bones nodded. 'Well said. Of course, non-verbal spell work has other useful applications. Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, even caring for magical creatures can sometimes be heavily reliant—even require—the use of non-verbal spells. It is for this reason that every student leaving Hogwarts must master this task, although as I said before, that usually does not occur until sixth year.'

Peter raised a timid hand. Madam Bones nodded at him. 'What are the beds for?' he asked.

'We will be practicing today, thank you for volunteering, Pettigrew,' she said to an aghast look from Peter. 'Lupin, you can be his counterpart. The trick to casting a non-verbal spell is equal parts visualization and concentration. Visualize the spell having its impact on your target, and concentrate on the spell you wish to cast.'

'What spell are we using?' Remus asked as he shook his arms out and drew his wand.

'We'll start with a stunning spell today. I understand you four are capable of it?' she said with a slightly impressed tone. They all nodded. 'Then begin. Remember—concentration and visualization.'

The words had barely left her mouth when a jet of red light shot out of Peter's wand, smacking solidly into Remus' torso and sending him spinning onto the fluffy bed. For one wild moment, it appeared Peter had instantly mastered the task—but Madam Bones was tutting. 'Whispering a spell does not make it non-verbal, Pettigrew,' she chided as he flushed.

Sirius roared with laughter as Remus hauled himself to his feet. 'Sorry,' Peter muttered.

'Not as much as you're going to be,' Remus replied with a wink.

However, the five minutes that followed were nothing short of hilarious for James and Sirius to watch. Both Remus and Peter had their faces screwed up tightly in concentration as they tried desperately to emit the spell. Peter's face was so red that James found himself wondering if it might pop, and Remus was beginning to sweat. Sirius was enjoying himself far too much as he giggled at the facial expressions they made at each other.

'Alright, I think you two should take a break,' Madam Bones said as Peter stumbled, apparently concerned that he might be depriving himself of oxygen. 'Potter—Black—let's see what you two have. Remember…visualization and concentration.'

Sirius flipped his wand up to his forehead in a mock salute.

'I'll try not to mess up your hair for Marlene,' James taunted.

Sirius barked with laughter. 'I'll try and fix yours up for Evans,' he replied.

'Begin,' Madam Bones said.

James and Sirius both flashed their wands forward—without a word, two jets of red light hurtled at each other and collided in mid air, ricocheting around the room. Madam Bones cast a quick shield charm to prevent Peter from being struck in the head by one of them. 'Impressive,' she said. 'Again—same charm. Keep dueling until someone is hit.'

'Wicked,' Sirius breathed and they set off. Both of their aims were dead on as they sent the spells cascading into each other and flying about the room. Their faces were set in concentration, and James could feel himself growing wearier with each casting of the spell—the effort it was taking was far greater than if he had been just shouting the spells out. He could see from Sirius' wild expression that he was experiencing the same thing.

'That's enough,' Madam Bones said and they both stopped. Sirius dropped to one knee, panting heavily and James leaned against the wall.

'It takes immense concentration and energy—for you two, building the stamina to effectively duel in a non-verbal capacity will be your greatest challenge going forward,' Madam Bones said. 'But for a first try, that was excellent. Pettigrew, Lupin, let's go again.'

It took only two minutes this time for Remus to flash a stunning spell that sent Peter back flipping through the air onto his mattress. Remus managed it twice more before Peter managed to retaliate, sending a spell that forced Remus into a flying three-sixty-degree spin and crashing into the mattress.

'Excellent,' Madam Bones said as she glanced at the clock. 'One more round, you two,' she said, gesturing to Sirius and James. 'This time disarming spells. Go.'

This one came easier to both James and Sirius as they had given this spell a lot more use. They freed themselves up to move around a bit, away from the safety of the mattresses as they stalked around the room, trying to zip a spell in at each other, but the other always deflecting it away with his own spell at the last moment. Neither seemed to gain an advantage.

'Impressive,' Madam Bones said with a glance at the clock. 'That will be enough for today. What you four have managed is, truthfully, astounding. I would not have expected this from second years—even in light of the unfortunate experiences you have had to face,' she added with a kind smile.

'So what's next?' James asked eagerly.

Madam Bones smiled. 'Expelliarmus and Stupefy are two of the more basic defensive spells available. I do not wish to demean what you accomplished here today—because it certainly was significant—but you will need to verse yourself in far more complex defensive magic than that. In our next class, we will work on some more complicated spells that I will expect you to complete non-verbally,' she added with an extra look at Peter who turned pink. 'Until tomorrow; good night.'

As they walked away, Sirius was nearly bouncing. 'That was wicked! I hope we get to practice dueling more, that was fun!'

'For you maybe,' Peter muttered. 'I think I'm going to have a lump on my head.'

'From Remus' spells or Bones chastising you?' Sirius teased.

'He got the hang of it eventually,' Remus said kindly. 'You packed a pretty good whollop on that one you sent my way, Peter.'

Peter looked somewhat mollified. 'I was nowhere near as good as Sirius and James, though.'

James grinned. 'Well, when you've got natural talent like I've got, it comes a little easier,' he said airily.

'Like we've got, you mean,' Sirius said as he elbowed James in the side.

'You? You just had beginner's luck,' James teased.

The two began to playfully shove each other back and forth as they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. Once inside, they saw a crowd of students were gathered around the pinup board.

'What's going on, Frank?' James asked.

'Two things,' Frank said with a grin. 'Quidditch team is up and the first Hogsmeade Weekend has been posted!'

'Wicked, I've been looking forward to going to Hogsmeade!' James said excitedly.

Frank raised his eyebrows. 'Don't you want to know if you made the team?' he asked.

'Are you telling me I didn't?' James said with a cocky grin.

Frank smiled. 'Of course you did—although Dorcas did say if you try that Clean Sweep again, she will insert it in you.'

James shook off that mental image and made his way over to the board. The Hogsmeade weekend was this coming weekend—he didn't know if he'd be able to wait. He had made sure to make an extra large withdrawal from his account at Gringotts just because of this. He then cast a glance at the Quidditch team; as he'd expected, there were no changes—Dorcas would remain Keeper and Captain while the Prewetts would provide their Beating skills. Cresswell, Frank and James would make up the Chaser combo while Alice would be back as Seeker.

James spotted Alice across the room, surrounded by students asking her to tell the story of her fabled catch from the previous year.

'I haven't been able to get near her since the team list went up,' Frank said with a shake of his head. 'She's more popular than ever.'

James looked at the Hogsmeade board. 'You know,' he said. 'I seem to be recalling a conversation you and I had about Hogsmeade last year,' he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Frank rolled his eyes. 'Come on—you two spend all your time together and you still haven't told her you like her?'

'I've told her I like her,' Frank defended.

'In what way?' James replied, crossing his arms.

Frank went pink. 'I've told her she's a great friend, and a great teammate, and…'

'So in short, you haven't told her,' James said confidently.

'Oh stuff it,' Frank grumbled.

'What are you holding off for?' James asked.

Frank looked at her from across the room and sighed. 'I don't know…what if she doesn't feel the same way and it makes things all weird?' he asked.

James laughed. 'Sometimes I wonder if your eyes are just for decoration, Longbottom,' he said. 'If you could see the way she looks at you, there would be little doubt in your mind that she feels the same way. Oh, there's a look right now.'

Frank looked in time to see Alice grinning from across the floor at him as she told her story to the smattering of students—it wasn't just first and second years, but even more experienced students were gathering round to hear the story.

'See what I mean?' James said. 'Don't pass up on a good thing, mate.'

'Why's this all about me?' Frank said with a nervous laugh. 'What about you and Evans?'

James sighed. 'You want to talk about things that won't happen…' he muttered. He summarized for Frank what Lily had told him about her relationship with Snape. Frank pursed his lips and stared idly across the room for a moment.

'I wouldn't get too worried about that,' he said at last.

'And why not?' James replied.

Frank shrugged. 'Look at the choices he's making. Even with Lily whispering in his ear, he's still making bad decision after bad decision.'

'Remus thinks it's more complicated than that—that there's more to the world than just Death Eaters and good people,' James said.

Frank nodded. 'Well, he's not wrong. But even a morally conflicted Death Eater is still a Death Eater, isn't he?'

'You think that's the way he's going?' James asked.

'Don't you?' Frank replied.

James nodded. 'I guess so.'

'So, if he keeps going down that path, maybe Lily will take a second look at you,' he said, grimacing at the choice of words.

James laughed. 'Maybe.'

'Well, answer me this—is she worth the wait?' Frank said. 'Excuse me,' he added as he walked off across the room to join Alice as she told her story. James sighed as he looked at them and then scanned the room, spotting Lily sitting by the fire. She was talking animatedly with Remus about something. She reared her head back to laugh as Remus got up and spun around in a circle, evidently re-telling the events of their extra lessons with Madam Bones. James watched as her long red hair shook around her smiling face as she laughed.

Yes, he thought. She is definitely worth the wait.

'We're going to have to go to Zonko's,' Sirius was saying excitedly as they got ready for bed that night. 'Just think of all the fun we could have with some of their joke products—oh, the ways I could torment old Snivellus…' he got lost in a dreamy expression as Remus sighed audibly.

'Where are you hoping to go, Remus?' James asked.

Remus shrugged. 'I've heard a lot of the older students talk about going to the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer. I wouldn't mind trying one.'

'That sounds great,' Peter added enthusiastically.

James nodded. 'Wicked—the four of us can go there, right Sirius?'

Sirius coughed and turned back to putting his robes away. 'Right. Sure. I can meet you guys there,' he said hastily.

James exchanged a confused glance with Remus and Peter. 'Meet us?' he asked.

'Yeah, there'll be loads of time for that,' Sirius said—again in a hasty tone.

James folded his arms. 'Are you planning on getting to Hogsmeade in some way that we aren't?' he asked.

'What? No—of course not,' Sirius said, still not facing them.

'Then why would you need to meet us there if you were walking to Hogsmeade with us?' Peter asked the unspoken question.

Sirius turned to face them and was extremely red in the face. 'Because,' he mumbled. 'I agreed to walk there with someone else already.'

It took a moment for that to sink in. Remus gave a low wolf whistle and James roared with laughter as he sat on the end of Sirius' bed. 'It's Marlene McKinnon, isn't it?' James asked with a laugh.

'Oh shut up,' Sirius said as he smacked James with his pillow.

'You have a date?' Peter asked in a shrill voice.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Yes, Petey. I have a date, with a real, live girl.'

'Tell us how this happened,' Remus demanded, sitting next to James on the bed.

'Right! We all want to know,' Peter added, sitting down next to them.

Sirius laughed. 'You three are ridiculous,' he muttered. 'It wasn't exactly complicated—she asked me if I wanted to, I said yes.'

'She asked you?' James asked.

'Being rather good looking, I'd be surprised if she hadn't,' Sirius said with a puff of his chest.

'Being rather pig headed, I'm rather surprised she has,' Remus countered to a laugh from all of them. 'So what are you planning to do?' Remus asked.

Sirius frowned. 'What do you mean?'

Remus stared at him for a moment. 'For your date,' he said.

'I don't get it,' Sirius replied.

Remus sighed and said with the patience of someone explaining something to a very small child. 'I mean where do you intend to go—together—on your date?'

'We're supposed to go somewhere?' Sirius asked.

'Merlin,' James muttered as Remus chuckled. 'It's a good thing we got to him first.'

Sirius ruffled his hair. 'I hadn't thought about any of this…what should I do?'

'For starters, you shouldn't come to the Three Broomsticks with us,' Peter said.

'Oi! It's not the Marauders without Sirius!' James said.

'But it's not a date if you bring all your mates along,' Peter replied. Remus was watching him with a surprised look on his face. 'You need to go somewhere with her that you can be alone.'

Sirius' frown deepened so hard that he looked like he might be ill. 'Like where?' he asked. 'And how alone?' he added.

'Take her for something to drink,' Remus suggested. 'Like tea—or a Butterbeer.'

'Then why not the Three Broomsticks with you lot?' Sirius stammered.

Peter sighed. 'Because you need to be alone!'

'I don't understand why!' Sirius shot back.

'In case she wants to snog,' Remus said in a deafening tone of finality. James roared with laughter at the thunderstruck expression on Sirius' face. 'I hope I am correct in assuming that this thought has crossed your mind, Sirius?'

Sirius dropped down onto the bed. 'Well…yeah, eventually,' he muttered.

'Maybe just start with talking,' Peter said confidently—a tone that was most unbecoming on him. 'Find out what you have in common.'

'I can talk,' Sirius said.

'You certainly can,' Remus said in a bemused tone. 'Tell you what—you two go to the Three Broomsticks. We'll find somewhere else to go…the Hog's Head, maybe? I've heard it's an experience one never forgets.'

James turned up his nose. 'You might catch something you'll never forget…I've heard my Dad talk about the place. I'm not entirely sure what 'a dive' is, but he said that about the Hog's Head.'

Remus shrugged. 'It'll be an experience,' he said in a determined voice.

'But what if I need advice?' Sirius said.

James laughed. 'Well, you've got all week to pick Remus and Peter's brains, mate. But I think you'll need to go it alone.'

Sirius bit his lip. 'You three can't come under the cloak?' he asked.

'Certainly not,' Remus sighed. 'For all your confidence, I never thought you'd be terrified of a girl.'

'I'm not terrified!' Sirius countered.

'Then buck up, mate, because you've got a date this weekend,' James said with a laugh.


	9. Drinks and Disappearances

9

The week flashed past with anticipation building for the Hogsmeade weekend. For the older students, this was all old hat—but the third years were abuzz with excitement and the first and second years were doing a relatively poor job of concealing their envy at the fact that they had to remain behind.

'I was sure to rub it in ickle Reggie's face,' Sirius was beaming as they got dressed on Saturday morning. 'The little prat. He was promising that next year he's going to whack me upside the head with a snowball. I told him he'd need a stepping stool.'

James chuckled as he put on his winter robes. It was getting cold outside and there was some thought that it was threatening to snow. 'So where are you meeting Marlene?' he asked off handedly.

'Great hall in a few minutes,' Sirius replied. He had settled down as the week went on, after a nearly unrelenting stream of advice and tips from Remus and Peter (which frankly left James amazed), and morale boosting comments from James. 'So…I guess I'll see you there,' Sirius said and he marched off out of the room.

'He's growing up before our eyes,' James said in a mock-teary voice as Peter and Remus chuckled. 'So we're really going to give the Hog's Head a try, then?' he asked.

Remus nodded. 'Even most of the seventh years haven't ventured in there. I think it would be a very Marauder-esque thing to do if we made it our haunt.'

'Let's hold off on setting up shop until we see how bad it actually is,' James muttered. 'Right, best get off, then.'

Student were being searched (with great vigor) by Argus Filch, the castle care taker. 'I'm not sure I understand,' James muttered as Filch rifled through his pockets, 'if we're carrying confiscated items, isn't it for the best that we're taking them out of the castle?'

'Shut it,' Filch snapped as he moved on to Remus who presented his signed permission slip.

'It occurs to me,' Remus said. 'If Sirius and his parents don't get on all that well, why did they sign his permission slip?' he asked as he eyed Sirius walking a ways ahead with Marlene.

'Sirius told them it was very dangerous with Death Eaters about and that he could be killed. He said they told him to please ensure that happened,' James replied.

'You don't think they're serious, do you?' Peter yelped.

James shrugged. 'I've never met them. I can't really tell if Sirius is joking or not when he says things like that,' he added.

'Looks like they're talking at least,' Remus observed. Sirius was in the middle of saying something very animatedly and Marlene was laughing.

'It's not polite to stare,' came Lily's voice from behind them. James turned to see her grinning at them and beside her was Snape, who was resolutely staring in another direction. 'I couldn't really believe it when Marlene told me she was going on a date with him.'

'That makes two of us,' Snape said stiffly.

James sighed but fell into step beside Lily. 'He was nervous, but he had these two little cupids over here to set him straight,' he said with a nod to Remus and Peter.

'Little ladies' men, are you?' Lily asked to a slight flush from the other two.

'And why are you flying solo, Potter?' Snape asked, finally looking at James with a sneer.

James blinked. 'Solo? I'm with two people, Sev. Or didn't you ever learn to count?'

'That's enough,' Lily said firmly as Snape's eyes narrowed at James. 'Just for one day can you two not be at each other's throats?'

James raised his arms. 'Of course, m'lady,' he said with a deep bow. 'We were thinking of going to the Hog's Head. Care to join us?'

Lily's nose wrinkled. 'The Hog's Head?' she asked. 'Why on earth would you go there? We were going to the Three Broomsticks—'

'Alone,' Snape cut off.

James waved an arm. 'We have to avoid there anyway—that's where Sirius and Marlene are planning to go,' he said.

'Maybe we should go someplace else,' Snape muttered.

'Nonsense, it will be fine,' Lily said bracingly. 'It's nice of you three to give them some space…but the Hog's Head, really?'

Remus shrugged. 'We think it'll be an experience.'

'If you say so,' Lily sighed.

'Come on, Lily, I think we can see the village if we kip on ahead,' Snape said in a wildly transparent attempt to break away from James, Remus and Peter.

James saw Remus looking at him in concern. He shrugged and cast his gaze over to the trees and froze—for one wild moment, he thought he saw a glittering mechanical eye staring back out at him.

'James? You alright?' Peter asked.

James took a step forward and peered at the trees. It must have been a trick of the light—there was nothing there, now. 'I'm fine,' he muttered. 'Let's keep walking.'

The students scattered for the most part when they got to town. James watched as Sirius and Marlene entered the Three Broomsticks, followed a short while later by Lily and Snape. James kicked at the snow idly as he followed Remus—who had a map—through the village towards the Hog's Head.

It wasn't difficult to spot. A sign hung by one hinge from above the door with a rather frightening image of a large, toothy hog on it. There was a large bay window, but it was so encrusted with…something that they couldn't see inside.

'Abandon hope, all ye who enter,' James muttered as they stepped inside.

It smelt a bit like fish that had been left out in the sun for too long. The place was mostly empty and rather dark. A tall, oddly familiar looking man stood behind the bar wiping a glass with a dirty rag.

'What'll it be?' the bar man grunted.

'Three Butterbeers, please,' Remus said, dropping some money on the bar. The bar man scooped it up and poured the Butterbeers into several questionable looking mugs. 'Well—cheers,' Remus said and they all sipped.

Trying not to think about what he was drinking out of, James was quite amazed at the taste of the Butterbeer. He was instantly filled with a warm sensation that made him forget about the cold outside.

'It's delicious,' Peter said from the end of the bar, his face barely reaching up high enough for him to put his cup down.

'Wonder if Sirius will order the same thing?' James mused.

Remus chuckled. 'It won't hurt you two to be apart for a few hours,' he said playfully. 'Besides, Hogsmeade is our oyster now! Where should we go after this?'

'Zonko's,' James said. 'The joke shop. I've been waiting to see what they've got in there.'

'Honeyduke's for me,' Peter said dreamily. 'I've heard all sorts of things about the candy and chocolates they have there.'

Remus nodded. 'Let's do both,' he said.

James stared at the wall, still trying to shake the fact of what he thought he had seen on his way into town. He sighed as he glanced up at a mirror—and noticed a man sitting near the front doorway. He was very shabby and looked homeless. James stood and walked over, sitting down across from the man.

'Hullo, Engelland,' James said brightly.

The Auror looked up from under hooded eyelids as he sipped a drink that smoked slightly as he drank it. 'Alright, Potter?' he said with a grin.

'They let you away from the house?' James asked.

Engelland chuckled. 'Your Dad insisted I come and check on you given it was Hogsmeade weekend,' he said dryly.

'I think he needs more protecting than me,' James said.

'Oh I doubt that,' Engelland replied. 'Moody's keeping watch out there right now anyway. Old Mr. Potter reckons you've taken over the title of being the chief troublemaker, so here I am.'

James smiled. 'I don't go looking for trouble, it just seems to know where I am.'

'My point exactly,' Engelland sighed. 'I was hoping you wouldn't notice me, but I suppose this makes things easier. Although I have to say…a bit of an odd choice for your first stop in Hogsmeade,' he added with a gesture to their surroundings.

Remus and Peter joined them. 'James…everything alright?' Remus asked.

'Oh fine,' James said in a low voice. 'This is Engelland; he's an Auror. He watched out for my house for most of the summer.'

'Wicked,' Peter said. He found Aurors extraordinarily impressive.

'Where's your fourth, anyway?' Engelland asked. 'The Black boy?'

'On a date,' James replied.

Engelland chuckled. 'Ah yes…Hogwarts was a veritable spawning ground for love when I was there,' he muttered. 'Anyway—what's your itinerary for the rest of the day?'

James shrugged. 'We were thinking of Honeyduke's and Zonko's in no particular order,' he said.

Engelland nodded. 'Well, don't let me get in your way. Just pretend as though I'm not here,' he said as he took a sip of his smoking drink.

James, Remus and Peter finished their drinks and set off through the village. They looked into various windows on their way until they reached Honeyduke's. Peter was nearly bouncing in anticipation as they went inside. James had to admit feeling slightly hungry himself upon doing so given the wide array of sweets and treats that were suddenly before him.

The door opened behind him and James sighed as Lily and Snape walked in, entranced in mid-conversation. Snape was evidently in the middle of saying something funny as Lily was laughing. James' stomach on itself at the sight and sound; her laugh was melodious and her face radiated when she was amused.

'Earth to James,' Remus muttered from beside him. James turned with a sigh. 'Sorry,' Remus said.

'Not your fault,' James muttered. 'Just wish she'd give me a chance the way she gives him one. Got some sort of great advice for that?'

Remus sighed. 'I wish I did,' he said.

'Speaking of which, where is all of your great advice coming from?' James asked. 'Last I checked, you've never had a girlfriend.'

Remus went slightly pink. 'I read a lot,' he muttered.

'Where?' James asked. 'I haven't seen any books on one hundred and one ways to impress girls kicking around the school…or is there an extra credit class you've been attending without my knowing?'

Remus glanced around. 'It's my Mum,' he whispered. 'She has these books. They have a lot of information on how to conduct yourself.'

James frowned. 'What books are these?'

Remus stared at the ceiling. 'Wilhelmina Warbright,' he said.

James' jaw dropped. 'The one who writes all those sleazy adult novels? I see those in book shops all the time! She writes dating advice, too?'

'Not exactly…' Remus replied, turning crimson.

'You…you read the…'

'Sleazy adult novels, yes,' Remus said with a sigh.

James bit his lip.

'Oh keep it in, will you,' Remus said irritably.

'Sorry, I'm trying,' James said as he shook slightly. 'This is just too funny, Remus. That's where all of your advice has been coming from?'

'They're engaging books!' Remus defended. 'And none of you were complaining when it helped calm Sirius down!'

'Oh, just wait until Sirius hears this,' James said with a sigh as he chewed his fist. 'Moony reading the lusty adult romance novels.'

'Oh please don't,' Remus moaned as the door to the shop opened once more. James turned around and frowned—Marlene McKinnon was standing there and was quite alone. She spotted him and walked determinedly over.

'Where's Sirius?' she asked.

'Beg pardon?' James replied.

'Where's Sirius?' she repeated. 'He said he was going to the bathroom and then he disappeared! This isn't one of your pranks is it?' she asked in a skeptical tone.

James looked at Remus who shook his head. 'No…are you sure he's not still in there?' Remus asked. 'The bathroom, I mean.'

'No—I had someone check,' Marlene said a little defensively. 'If this is a prank…' she began.

'It's not a prank. Come on, let's go look for him. Peter—this way,' James called as he, Remus and Marlene left the shop. Peter was at the counter paying. James caught a glimpse of Lily staring at them in confusion as they went.

'How long ago did he go to the bathroom?' Remus asked.

'About twenty minutes,' Marlene said. 'I thought maybe he was ill…Butterbeer doesn't always sit right for people having it for the first time,' she said. 'At least that's what my Mum tells me,' she added quickly.

James peered between the buildings as he went. 'And you didn't see him leave? Is there a back door?'

'I guess there is—I didn't look out that way,' she said as they arrived at the Three Broomsticks.

'Well, let's start there, then,' James said as they marched around back. James rounded the building and froze—the back door was hanging off its hinges, and the dirt on the ground was considerably kicked up. One of the wooden steps leading up to the building had broken neatly in half.

'Wands,' Remus said at once and he, James and Marlene drew their wands.

'Marlene, go back out to the street—there's a homeless man there named Engelland. Bring him here at once.'

If Marlene was confused at the instructions, she didn't show it. She ran away at once. Remus leaned into the doorway and peered inside the building. 'You can see the bathrooms straight from here…the doors, anyway,' Remus said.

James bit his lip—they were right on the edge of the forest surrounding town. 'Sirius?' James called softly, but there was no response.

Marlene returned quickly with Engelland whose wand was out. 'You shouldn't be running off out of sight like that, Potter,' he said irritably. 'What's going on?'

'Sirius is gone,' James said.

Engelland cast his gaze about and settled on the scene of the door and the broken stair. 'We should leave…now, back to the castle,' he said immediately.

'But Sirius—' James began.

'My job's to keep you safe, Potter,' Engelland said as he roughly grabbed the back of James' robes.

'Oi! Let me go!' James protested as Engelland began to haul him away. 'SIRIUS!' he shouted, his voice echoing off the trees and the backs' of the Hogsmeade cottages. 'SIRIUS!' he shouted again.

'Quiet! There might be more of them out there,' Engelland implored.

'More of who?' Remus asked as they disappeared back into the alleyway.

'Death Eaters,' Engelland whispered. 'There's one watching us from the trees.'

James whirled around in time to see the glint of the magical eye again—and then there was a loud crack as Gilles Rochefort apparated, but not before James saw a flash of Sirius' black hair.

'SIRIUS!' James screamed again.


	10. Fires and Messages

10

The rest of the students were rounded up in quick order. Hogmseade village was suddenly filled with Aurors, Ministry members and Hogwarts Professors. James was somewhat irritated by the fact that Engelland maintained a firm grip on his shoulder at all times. Remus and Peter stayed by James' side, while Marlene had run off to join Lily, Alice and Mary McDonald.

'There's your Dad,' Engelland said gruffly as Mr. Potter made his way through the crowd of students over to them.

'James, thank heavens,' Mr. Potter murmured as he embraced his son. 'What's happened exactly? Moody only told me a boy had been kidnapped…' he surveyed the group of students waiting to be escorted back to the school.

'Dad, it's Sirius,' James said. 'Rochefort got him.'

Mr. Potter went slightly pale and looked at Engelland who nodded grimly. 'Oh dear,' Mr. Potter muttered simply. 'I thought given the Black family's sympathy to Voldemort that he might have been safe.'

'Evidently not,' Engelland said with a sigh. 'I'll go join the groups canvassing witnesses.'

'Are there any?' Mr. Potter frowned.

'Not that we've found, yet,' Engelland said gruffly as he marched off.

Mr. Potter looked at James, Remus and Peter shrewdly. 'Are you three alright?' he asked.

'No,' James said hotly. 'He wouldn't let me go after Sirius!'

Mr. Potter sighed. 'If he apparated he could be almost anywhere on the planet by now,' he said grimly. 'The question is why…why would Rochefort suddenly have an interest in Sirius Black? Is there anything you can think of, James?'

'We've always said we're against Rochefort, and Voldemort and all those people,' James said.

'True,' Mr. Potter said. 'But I still can't see why they'd move suddenly against him…' he seemed lost in thought.

Remus cleared his throat. 'What if it isn't about Sirius?' he asked.

'What do you mean?' Peter asked sharply.

Remus looked uncomfortable for a moment but then soldiered on. 'You said yourself, Mr. Potter—Sirius' family, whether he likes them or not, should have afforded him some protection. So what if this isn't about Sirius? What if this is about someone else?'

'Like a ransom?' James asked.

'Or giving Voldemort something he wants,' Remus said with a meaningful look. 'He's been trying to get you and Lily to speak to him for a year.'

James felt the blood drain out of his face. 'Dad?' he croaked. 'Is this because of me?'

Mr. Potter looked uncomfortable being put on the spot. 'We shouldn't jump to any conclusions,' he said carefully. 'Although it's a sound theory, Mr. Lupin,' he said kindly. 'But right now we should be focusing on getting you back up to the school and indoors.'

'Are you coming?' James asked.

Mr. Potter nodded. 'Your mother is going to meet us there. She offered to go and tell the Blacks in person what's happened.'

'You let her go do that alone?' James said. 'But Dad, Sirius says—'

'I know,' Mr. Potter said firmly. 'And no, she is not alone. The Minister for Magic is with her. I think, between the two of them, they can handle the Blacks.'

'What about Regulus?' James asked, peering around the student body for Sirius' younger brother. Although James couldn't imagine Regulus being bothered in the least, he was curious to see his reaction.

'Dumbledore is already with him,' Mr. Potter replied. 'Come on, it looks like we're moving out now.'

The walk back to the school seemed to take an eternity. James kept peering into the trees, hoping to see some glimpse of that mechanical eye staring back at him. They were escorted by a guard of teachers and Aurors, among them was Alastor Moody. Every time James saw him he seemed to be more scarred and disgruntled.

'Alright, Potter?' Moody growled as he fell into step alongside them. James nodded. 'I understand you saw Rochefort,' he said. 'Did he say anything?'

'No, I already told Engelland that,' James said. 'What do you think this is about?'

Moody shrugged. 'Rochefort's a sadist,' he said. 'He and his gang have been torturing muggles—at least that's what we suspect. It wouldn't surprise me if they decided to upgrade to wizards—'

'That's enough, Alastor,' Mr. Potter said firmly.

Moody shrugged and walked on. James stared at his feet miserably. 'They're going to hurt him.' It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Mr. Potter grabbed James' shoulder. 'James,' he said in a firm tone. 'I know what you're thinking. But I am telling you—do not do anything foolish.'

'Foolish like what?' James asked.

'Like going and looking for him,' Mr. Potter said. 'That's the Aurors' job.'

James shook his arm out of his father's grasp. 'Don't tell me what to do, Dad,' he said angrily. 'He's my best friend.'

'We'll talk about this later,' Mr. Potter said in a resigned tone as they approached the gates to the castle.

Professor McGonagall stood on a small stool to address the students. 'All students will please follow their Prefects back to their common rooms. You will remain there until your respective Heads of House come to give you an update. Do not delay, head straight back to your dormitories.'

'I'll see you shortly,' Mr. Potter said.

As James, Remus and Peter followed the group up the stairs, James glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. 'So you think this is about me and Lily?'

'James, I don't want to make your Dad angry—' Remus began.

'Come off it, Moony. This is Sirius we're talking about,' James said sharply.

Remus sighed. 'We've seen the lengths they'll go to in order to get people they want. Snatching Professor Mondego right off the train was unbelievably risky, but they did it. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they grabbed Sirius just to get to you.'

James sighed. 'Well then why not just grab me?' he hissed.

'You never went anywhere alone,' Remus said. 'And you had Engelland following you around. For all his faults, Rochefort isn't a stupid man.'

They began filing back into their common room, but James' frustration was only getting worse. 'Well then why not communicate with me? Why not tell me to come talk, or else?'

'Would that have worked?' Remus replied. 'We all thought we were safe with the teachers and the Aurors around, but look how that turned out.'

Peter wrung his hands uneasily. 'I think your Dad is right, James,' he said quietly. 'We need to let the Aurors find him.'

'Oh stuff it, Pettigrew,' James said grumpily as he sat down by the fire. Remus and Peter traded glances.

'We'll give you some space,' Remus said. He and Peter disappeared up the stairs to their dormitory. There was no dinner bell that evening, and eventually—with no sign of McGonagall—students began to head up to bed.

It wasn't until nearly 11:30 that the portrait hole opened and Mr. Potter came through. There were only a handful of students left and none of them paid him much mind as he came over and sat across from James by the fire. 'You're angry with me?' Mr. Potter asked quietly. James snorted. 'You get that from your mother, you know,' he said.

'What? Being angry with you for being stupid?' James snapped.

Mr. Potter smiled faintly. 'No; your stubborn nature and your willingness to do anything for a friend. They're good qualities, James…they're what make you such an amazing young man. But I just worry that they may also be your undoing.'

'I don't care if it is,' James said. 'If Sirius is in danger, I have to help.'

'And how would you do that?' Mr. Potter said quietly.

James threw his arms up, trying not to yell so as to put off the other students in the common room. 'I don't know—in any way I can! Dad, this is all my fault,' he said, looking angrily back at the fire. He could feel a hot sting behind his eyes as tears threatened to start coming.

'None of this is your fault,' Mr. Potter pressed. 'James, look at me.' James met his father's gaze. 'James, I've seen many Dark Wizards in my time. I've seen people do terrible things to one another. It is not your fault, it is not Sirius' fault—the villains here, the Rocheforts and the Voldemorts…they are at fault.'

'They're cowards,' James said viciously.

Mr. Potter nodded. 'They are,' he said. 'In a great many ways, they are tremendous cowards. Kidnapping a boy like Sirius just lends credence to that. But we also can't allow ourselves to fall prey to their plans, James.'

'So you DO think this is about me?' James said quietly.

Mr. Potter looked at him for a moment, and then nodded. 'I do. I think it's about you and Lily Evans,' he said at last, looking over his shoulder as he said Lily's name. James spotted her talking to Alice at the foot of the staircase leading to the girls' dormitory.

'What does he want with me?' James asked.

Mr. Potter scrutinized his son. 'Voldemort is looking for useful people. Take Cristobal Mondego as an example—the most accomplished Occlumens of all time was obviously something he coveted, and he took him. You and Ms. Evans, if I understand correctly, are the most gifted students in your year.'

'We're still just students,' James said, ignoring the fact that his father had called him the most gifted student in his year. 'We're just kids.'

'And some day you will be adults,' Mr. Potter said. 'This—and don't mistake my words here—might be the one distinct advantage that Voldemort has over the ministry. He has absolutely no qualms about who he recruits to join his army, whereas the Ministry can only take wizards who are of age. It gives Voldemort a distinct numbers advantage.'

James took that in as he stared at the fire. 'But why does he want us so badly if we're just numbers to him?'

'Because you aren't just numbers,' Mr. Potter said. 'You and your friends have fought off Rochefort—his top lieutenant—not just once, but several times,' he continued. 'Do you know how many incredibly talented wizards have been murdered by that one-eyed menace? More than I care to name. The fact that you, Ms. Evans and your friends have consistently evaded him is incredibly rare, especially given your age.'

James looked at his father evenly. 'Well Rochefort should be careful what he wishes for then. Because one of these days we're going to fight again. And when we do…I'm going to kill him.'

Mr. Potter pursed his lips. 'I think it's time for bed,' he said at last. 'You should get some rest.'

James shook his head. 'I'm not tired,' he said.

'Well, I'll go and check on your Mother. We're staying in the hospital wing; if you feel like joining us, just tell one of the portraits to come fetch me.'

James nodded numbly as his father stood and left. More students had filtered out now, but James was not quite yet alone. Lily Evans came over and sat down across the fire from him. 'Are you alright?' she asked.

'Fine,' James replied.

Lily looked concerned. 'I'm sorry about Sirius,' she said quietly.

'Nothing's happened to him yet,' James said.

'Do you know why they took him?' Lily asked.

James looked at her evenly. 'Dad thinks it's because Voldemort wants to have a little chat with me. Probably with you, too.'

Lily looked aghast. 'But why?'

James shrugged. 'Apparently giving Rochefort the slip a few times is reason enough for the Lord of all Evil to want to have tea together,' he grumbled.

Lily smiled faintly. 'Well, we don't know that for sure, do we?'

'Yes, we do,' came a tired voice from the fire. James nearly jumped out of his skin as he looked and saw Sirius Black's face sticking out of the flames.

'Sirius!' James hissed. 'Where are you?'

Sirius shook his head and James could see one of his eyes was swollen shut and his face was bruised. 'They want me to deliver a message, but they can sit and—' he never got a chance to finish as a fist came into view in the flames, striking Sirius in the face.

'Who's there!' James hissed. 'Show me your face!'

The grinning face of Gilles Rochefort appeared in the fire. 'How predictable you little children are,' he said. 'Little Mr. Black was absolutely right; here you two are, sitting in front of the fire. I hope I'm not interrupting a tender moment?'

'You're dead,' James snarled. 'You hear me? I'm going to kill you.'

Rochefort laughed. 'Well, you're certainly welcome to come and try. In fact, I'll invite you over to my house—does that sound pleasant?'

'Don't, James!' Sirius' voice came from somewhere in the background followed by a muted cry of agony.

Rochefort's gaze turned to Lily. 'So let's try this dance again,' he said silkily. 'The Dark Lord is requesting an audience with the two of you. Your attendance is mandatory. Fail to show up, and your friend here will meet a very sticky end indeed.'

Sirius cried out in agony again.

'When and where?' James asked.

Rochefort laughed. 'I'll give you one day to decide that,' he said. 'One day to enjoy this mental image in your head.'

Sirius' face appeared again, a large hand wrapped around his neck as he choked for breath. 'Stop it!' Lily squealed. 'You'll kill him!'

Rochefort's face appeared again. 'Oh, not yet. We have plenty of fun in store for the next day. Now, I should add—you are to tell no one. No parents, no teachers, no Aurors…we don't want any funny business. It is to be just the two of you. We have contacts all throughout the Ministry…so if you tell anyone, we will know.'

'How do we contact you?' Lily asked in a whisper.

Rochefort smiled. 'Good girl,' he said. 'Same place, same time, tomorrow. Alert no one and do not raise suspicion.'

'How will we get to you?' James asked.

Rochefort chuckled. 'You are two creative young wizards,' he said in a sarcastic tone. 'Use your imaginations. I trust that I don't need to provide additional incentive for you to exercise some discretion?'

'No,' James said. 'Don't lay another finger on him.'

Rochefort grinned. 'See you tomorrow.'

And with that, his face vanished from the fire. James and Lily looked at each other, mirrored looks of shock painted on their faces. 'What in the world are we going to do?' Lily asked.

James stood up. 'We're going to get Sirius back,' he said.

'How?' Lily asked.

James smiled grimly. 'Feel like becoming an honorary member of the Marauders?' he asked.

'But Rochefort said not to tell—' Lily began.

'—any teachers, parents or Ministry members,' James finished. 'I'm not suggesting we tell any of them.'

'But we can't bring them to talk with Voldemort, they could be killed,' Lily said.

'I have no intention of talking with Voldemort,' James replied. 'I intend to kill him.'


	11. Parents and Plans

11

'Alright, let's go over this again,' James said for what seemed like the fifteenth time. Peter grumbled from the end of his bed and Remus looked up at him with tired eyes. It was just past four in the morning, but none of them had even attempted to sleep yet. 'We get to this stronghold, whatever it is…'

'I don't see much point in planning if we don't even know what we're up against,' Remus pointed out.

James pointed at him. 'And that's the key. We can't be the only one going in expecting surprises. We need to be able to keep them on their toes.'

'Which we achieve how?' Peter asked.

'My invisibility cloak, for starters. Someone will have to go underneath it…that will give us a split-second advantage in casting spells when the occasion calls for it,' James said.

Peter looked panicked. 'Look James, I agree we need to help Sirius, but be realistic for a moment—marching into Voldemort's stronghold and launching a massive killing spree probably won't end too well for us.'

'We're Marauders, aren't we?' James asked defiantly.

Remus sighed. 'Yes, we are.'

'And one of our number is in trouble. They'll kill him if we don't go, and they'll likely kill us all even if we do,' James said.

Peter gulped. 'So what can we possibly hope to achieve?'

'Take a few of them out in the process,' James replied.

'We should ask for more help,' Remus said.

'I already told you, we can't alert anyone in the Ministry. Voldemort has too many spies,' James said as he sat down on the end of Sirius' bed.

Remus shook his head. 'I mean from other students.'

James frowned. 'Who could we ask for help?'

'Think back to the train,' Remus implored. 'Gideon, Fabian, Dorcas—even Frank. They could all be a big help to us.'

'But we could also be leading them to their deaths,' Peter pointed out.

James nodded. 'Peter's right. We need to keep this as small as possible…I don't want to risk anyone's life if I don't have to.'

'Don't you think they'd like the choice?' Remus asked.

'Of course they'd all say yes,' James replied. 'But I don't think Sirius would want anyone else putting their lives in danger for him.'

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Let's take a step back here,' he said slowly. 'Rochefort said for you to name the day and time, yes?'

'That's right,' James said.

Remus stood up. 'But we have no idea of exactly where he'll be taking us, putting us immediately on the defensive and at a rather distinct disadvantage,' he continued.

'Do you have a point?' Peter asked in a somewhat irritated tone.

Remus looked at them both. 'We can't be the only ones going in expecting to be surprised. We need to have some surprises of our own.'

'I already told you, I don't want to drag anyone else into this. It's bad enough that Lily's going to be involved,' James said.

Remus seemed to think hard for a moment. 'Follow me,' he said. He launched out of the dormitory and down into the common room. With a groan, James and Peter followed him. When they got down by the fire, they found Remus next to Lily—who evidently had not left the fireside since James had.

'What's going on?' Lily asked.

Remus sat down. 'It's time for everyone to be on the same page here,' he said.

'What are you talking about?' James asked worriedly.

'Look,' said Remus. 'A bunch of kids don't exactly stand a splendid chance against battle hardened Death Eaters. What we need is an equalizer of some sort…something big and powerful that could keep them at bay.'

'Remus—' James began.

'Something like a werewolf,' Remus finished.

Silence hung in the air for a few moments as Peter, James and Lily all stared at Remus in shock. Lily and James said at once. 'Remus, you can't!' Then they stared at each other. 'What are you talking about?' Lily asked suspiciously.

'What are _you_ talking about?' James asked back.

'It's okay, Lily,' Remus said calmly. 'They know.'

James stared at Remus. 'Are you telling me _she_ knows?' he asked.

'Everyone standing in this room knows what I am,' Remus continued. 'Lily figured it out at the end of the first year. She really is the brightest witch of her age,' he muttered.

'And how exactly did these two come to find out?' Lily asked.

Remus shrugged. 'They—along with Sirius—followed me one night and saw me transform.'

'The wolf was out of the bag at that point,' James muttered.

Lily sighed. 'Let's skip back a moment here—what exactly have you three been talking about for the last few hours?'

James sat down. 'We need to go into wherever it is that they're keeping Sirius with the intention of rescuing him and getting out. We need to be ready to face Death Eaters, Rochefort and maybe even Voldemort,' he said. 'Remus was just about to tell us some bright idea about turning into a werewolf.'

'It's logical,' Remus said. 'We can get there before the moon rises. I can enter whatever this place is first—under cover, if need be,' he said with a meaningful look at James. 'And then I can go on the offensive. While they have their hands filled with me, you lot enter and find Sirius.'

'But you'll be killed,' Lily said.

'Not likely,' Remus replied.

'Explain,' James demanded.

Remus sighed. 'There are some werewolf stories that are true. Unless they have an inordinate amount of genuine silver weaponry, they will only be able to slow me down…but not kill me.'

'There's something in that,' Peter muttered.

'You can't be considering this!' Lily said hotly. 'The danger—Remus, you can't.'

'Sirius would do it for me, and this may be the only time in my life that I can use this…thing that's inside me for something good,' Remus said in a determined voice. 'As myself, I wouldn't last a second against Rochefort and his gang. But…as Moony, I just might.'

Lily slapped a hand over her forehead. 'I just figured out your nickname,' she muttered.

'Sirius changed it from Loony after we found out,' James said with a wry smile.

Lily shook her head. 'I still can't believe you lot know,' she muttered.

'We're his best friends!' James said.

Lily chewed her lip and looked at James in a profoundly odd way. It was like she was seeing James clearly for the first time. 'Remus can't be the only surprise,' she said at last. 'What else can we do to keep them on the defensive?'

James stood up. 'We need to take this from the beginning. We get wherever we're going, and Remus has to go in first somehow.'

'How?' Peter asked.

'I need to be invisible somehow,' Remus said with a half glance at James.

'We could use a disillusionment charm,' James said quickly. 'I think I know how to pull that one off.'

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'Really? That's fairly advanced magic, Potter.'

'I'm full of surprises,' James replied. 'So once Remus goes in, we give it until the moon rises,' Then we announce ourselves—Lily and I—and we go for our meeting.'

Peter gulped. 'What about me?'

'You're going to need to be close by. You need to be our lookout—if we take longer than a certain amount of time, you'll need to go back to the castle and tell Dumbledore where we've gone,' James said.

'But I thought Rochefort said to tell no one?' Peter asked.

'If we haven't come back, it might be too late—and Dumbledore we know can be trusted,' James said.

'Why not just tell Dumbledore now?' Peter asked.

'Yeah, why not?' Remus mused.

James shook his head. 'The portraits in his office, the other teachers' on staff—we have to assume that there's a way that word would get out,' he said. 'This needs to be just us. It's our only chance of getting Sirius back.'

'I just thought of something,' Lily said. 'How will Sirius know not to cross paths with Remus?'

They all sat in silence for a moment. 'It's a risk we'll have to take,' James said finally with a look at Remus, who looked more pale than usual.

'I could kill him,' Remus said simply.

'We'll just have to get to him before you do,' James said firmly. 'Alright. We should all get to sleep…and Lily, don't come and talk to us tomorrow. We don't want to arouse suspicion of what we're going to do. Remus, when's the next full moon?'

'Wednesday,' Remus said quickly.

James nodded. 'So that's when we move. Everyone agreed?'

*

The next day began slowly. After eating breakfast together in the great hall, Remus, James and Peter headed up to the hospital wing to see James' parents. They arrived in the corridor outside when they discovered a witch and wizard who bore a striking resemblance to Sirius in mid-conversation. The wizard noticed James and his eyes narrowed.

'You,' he said in a clipped voice. 'You're James Potter.'

James frowned. 'Yes,' he said.

'You're the one who's been filling Sirius' head with his mudblood-loving nonsense,' the wizard said in an acid tone.

James scowled. 'It's not nonsense, it's common sense—do you have any of that?' he retorted.

The wizard's lip curled. 'Our family afforded more than enough protection for Sirius, even if he was a renegade little disappointment off to shame the family. And now because of foolish idiocy like yours, he's wound up in Gryffindor and acting all out of sorts.'

'Sirius decided that for himself,' Remus said defensively.

'He didn't need the help,' said the wizard hotly.

'That's enough, Orion,' came Mr. Potter's voice from the door to the hospital wing. The man called Orion Black whirled around to see the elder Potter standing there. James saw Orion's hand twitch toward his wand, but froze when he saw Mr. Potter's was already twirling idly around in his hand. 'I won't have you raising your voice at my son.'

'It's because of your son that mine has been taken!' the witch snarled.

'That's simply not the case, Walburga,' Mr. Potter said calmly. 'I believe Dumbledore wanted to speak with you in the headmaster's office. You'd best be off now.'

Orion and Walburga Black cast a withering glare at James before storming off down the corridor. Mr. Potter looked at his son shrewdly. 'Are you alright?' he asked.

James snorted. 'All this time I was hoping Sirius had been exaggerating about his parents,' he muttered.

Mr. Potter looked thoughtful. 'The fact that they even showed up here surprised me,' he said. 'Come on inside.'

James, Remus and Peter entered the hospital wing where Mr. and Mrs. Potter were sitting together. 'Is there anything new about Sirius?' Peter asked in a timid voice.

'Not yet,' Mrs. Potter said gently. 'But the Ministry has every single available resource working to find him.'

'Do you think they will?' Remus asked.

'We have to trust in their ability,' Mrs. Potter said after a moment's pause. 'I don't want you three getting any ideas about going off after him,' she said in a stern voice. 'It's bad enough that he's been taken, we don't want you three to join him.'

'You've been talking to Dad, have you?' James said.

Mr. Potter nodded. 'James, we have professionals looking for him. Highly trained Aurors who have dealt with all kinds of dark magic.'

'But nothing like Voldemort, right?' James said defiantly. 'No one seems to have dealt with anything like him. And Rochefort, for that matter, seems to always manage to get away.'

Mr. Potter pursed his lips. 'It will be exceedingly dangerous and difficult, that is true,' he said. 'Which is all the more reason for you not to go off and do anything foolish.'

James sighed and looked irritably at Remus who gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. James swallowed heavily and looked at his parents. 'Alright,' he said. 'I promise we won't go do anything foolish.'

That night, James and Lily sat anxiously by the fire waiting. Remus and Peter were off in the corner of the room, out of sight of the fireplace but close enough that they would be able to hear. It was getting towards midnight when the flames flickered and the face of Gilles Rochefort appeared.

'So,' he said with a smile. 'You have made your choice?'

'Yeah,' James replied. 'Wednesday night.'

Rochefort looked at him for a moment. 'And why Wednesday?' he asked.

'School functions,' Lily replied. 'On both Monday and Tuesday. Our presence would be missed and the alarm would be raised.'

Rochefort glanced at her and then nodded. 'Very well. And how will you exit the school?'

'The Forbidden Forest,' James said. 'It's the only unguarded way out. We will come out and into Hogsmeade. Now where's Sirius?'

'What makes you think I'd let you talk to him?' Rochefort said with a chuckle.

'You need to prove he's alive!' Lily said adamantly. 'Or we won't come.'

Rochefort sneered at her. 'Very well,' he hissed. His face disappeared from the fire, and was replaced a moment later with the battered and bruised face of Sirius Black.

'You lot can't be serious,' he spluttered through swollen lips.

'Sirius, we've got to try,' James said.

Sirius shook his head. 'I'm having the time of my life,' he coughed. 'I haven't made my way through all of my fat mother jokes on Rochefort yet,' he said with a chuckle and he was suddenly struck in the head. He swore in agony but looked up at them. 'If you insist on doing this, you're going to need a stroke of luck.'

With that, his head was wrenched back out of the fire and Rochefort's face re-appeared. 'Tomorrow in Hogsmeade,' he hissed. 'We'll see you there.'

The face disappeared from the fire. James looked over at Lily who was looking back at him in shock. 'A stroke of luck,' Lily said.

James was up to the dormitory and back in a flash. The vial of Felix Felicis was cradled in his hand. 'Brilliant,' he whispered. 'One whole day of luck is in here. If we split it between the four of us, that should last us each through the night!' he said.

Lily was grinning. 'This might just be crazy enough to work,' she said happily.

James smiled grimly. 'We're going to need it to,' he said.

'So how are we going to get to the Forbidden Forest?' Lily asked. 'There's Aurors standing all around the grounds of the school.'

James exchanged a glance with Remus. 'We've got it covered,' he said. 'Slipping out of the school grounds won't be a problem.'

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'Aren't you going to fill me in?' she asked.

James smiled. 'Everyone has their secrets, Evans,' he said. 'I can't reveal all our tricks of the trade. You might be Head Girl some day.'

Lily laughed. 'At least I won't have to worry about you being Head Boy,' she said with a shake of her head.

'Alright, Marauders,' James said, putting his hand into the middle of the group. 'Evans is our honorary Sirius for the moment.'

'Honorary isn't the word I'd use,' Lily muttered as she put her hand in the middle.

'We're going to get Sirius back,' Remus declared as he put his hand in.

Peter gulped and put his hand in. 'And we're all going to get back in one piece,' he added.

James smiled. 'The Death Eaters won't know what hit them.'


	12. Wolves and Lords

12

On Tuesday evening, their plan to exit the school received a welcome assist in the form of Gideon and Fabian Prewett. James was pulled aside as they returned to the common room from class. 'We're throwing a little party to keep everyone upbeat,' Gideon said.

'We snuck off to Hogsmeade and brought back some Butterbeer and Honeydukes chocolate,' Fabian added.

'How did you manage to sneak off?' James asked incredulously.

Gideon looked at Fabian. 'You know, in a few short years, we won't be around to pass on our mischievous ways,' he commented.

'Too right. We need to start thinking about the future of rule breakers at Hogwarts,' Fabian replied. 'There's a secret passage we found in our third year. It's how we've managed to throw parties at the end of the Quidditch season,' he added.

'Where is it? How does it work?' James asked.

A long story short was that the passageway had a password (how Gideon and Fabian had managed to figure it out without the assistance of something such as James' Map was truly mystifying), and it lead straight up into the basement of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade Village. James reported this to Remus and Peter, who looked particularly peaky, later that night.

'At least we won't have to go through the Forbidden Forest,' Peter muttered.

'We might even be able to get the drop on whoever is waiting for us,' James said eagerly.

'Don't get ahead of yourself—we'll need whoever it is to bring us to Sirius first,' Remus reminded him. 'Let's go through the plan again. We get out of Hogwarts, and then Peter and I go under the cloak so we can follow you and Lily. Is there a reason we're not telling her about the cloak?' he asked.

James shrugged. 'Keep in mind who her best friend is…we don't need him following us around anymore than he did the last two years.'

'Alright then,' Remus replied. 'So then we wait until we get to wherever we're going and I'll sneak out from under the cloak and try and get inside before the moon comes up.'

Peter gulped. 'What if it takes too long to get there and you…well, transform?'

'You'll need to run,' Remus replied shortly. 'Try and put the Death Eater—or Death Eaters—between you and me and get out as fast as you can.'

Peter looked horrified. 'So…after you've all gone into this place, how long do I wait?'

'One hour sounds about right,' James said. 'If we're not back within an hour, get back to Hogwarts and sound the alarm.'

'How will you escape?' Peter asked.

James brandished his Comet Two Sixty. 'We're going to have to do some flying,' he said.

'There's only one broom—what about Remus?' Peter asked.

Remus snorted. 'Given that I'll be a werewolf, I don't think it would be prudent for me to hop on a broom with James.'

'Lily's going to try and bring her broom as well,' James said. 'I'll worry about getting Sirius onto mine. Now here's the part of the plan that gets dicey…what do we do about Remus after we've rescued Sirius?'

Remus frowned. 'I won't be myself until the following morning,' he said. 'You're going to have to leave me.'

'That's absurd,' James scoffed.

'Any better ideas?' Remus asked.

James frowned. 'I'll figure out a way for you to follow me,' he said at last. 'Use myself as bait.'

Remus rolled his eyes. 'Why did I know you would suggest something like that?' he muttered.

The evening arrived. As was the usual routine, Madam Pomfrey came to fetch Remus in the late afternoon. James and Peter bid him farewell and cast a glance over at Lily. 'Let's go for a walk, Peter,' James said with a glance at Lily. They went out into the hallway and were quickly joined there by Lily. 'Alright, Evans—you and Peter go to the entrance that the Prewetts told us about. I'm going to go and fetch Remus.'

'Are you sure you won't be seen?' Lily asked.

'Trust me,' James said with a grin. 'Remember which statue it is—I'll meet you there in ten minutes.'

James bolted down to the Great Hall, rummaging in his side pack as he did so. He had learned—with difficulty—how to cast the undetectable extension charm that Remus had placed on the Slytherins' underwear the year before and used it on his side pack. He had his invisibility cloak, his map, the bottle of Felix Felicis, as well as his and Lily's broomsticks. At Remus' insistence, James had also taken the latter's wand. 'I won't need it,' Remus had said simply and meaningfully. James had to admit that it would be an advantage to have access to a wand without the Death Eaters knowing, as they would surely take his once they arrived.

James cast the cloak over himself and made his way out into the school grounds. Upon reaching the Whomping Willow, he quietly enchanted a fallen twig to swing into the knot on the tree, rendering it motionless. He scrambled down into the hole to find Remus waiting.

'Let's move quickly,' he implored as James made room under the cloak for him and they made their way out and back to the castle. Once inside, they stowed the invisibility cloak and then made their way towards Madam Bones' classroom where the statue of the One-Eyed witch stood. Lily and Peter were there pretending to read their Defense textbooks.

'That was fast,' Lily said in an impressed tone.

James nodded, but found his mouth had suddenly gone dry. 'Alright everyone,' he said. 'No turning back now. We all know what we've got to do and what's at stake.'

Remus nodded determinedly in spite of the fact that he looked profoundly ill. Peter looked almost as bad and slightly green; James was surprised to see determination lining Lily's face. 'Alright. Let's move,' she said firmly and she pointed her wand at the statue. 'Dissendium,' she said quietly but firmly. The statue moved aside to reveal a passage underneath it.

'Here goes,' Lily said and slid into it first.

James felt his heart flutter as he watched her move. The thought again occurred to him of just how much danger they were about to face. He tried to re-assure himself—they were a talented group and they had a healthy dose of Felix Felicis on their side.

Peter went in next at Remus' motion. Remus followed and James exhaled slowly and then followed. It was very dark in the passage way, and he heard Lily murmur 'Lumos,' to provide them light as they walked. They moved in silence as the passageway moved for about twenty minutes until they came to a trap door. Lily propped it open and peeked out. 'Empty,' she said.

James nodded and they all climbed out in silence. On a day with no Hogwarts students in the village, Honeydukes was almost deathly quiet. Remus carefully closed the trap door behind them and then glanced at James with an inquisitive look. James nodded.

'Before we go outside, we should all take our dose of Felix,' James whispered.

'Do I really need it?' Remus frowned.

James shrugged. 'Maybe it will stop you from killing us?' James asked.

'There's something in that,' Remus sighed as he removed the stopper and took a quick gulp, passing it to Peter who did the same. Lily went next and then handed it to James who downed the rest. He was instantly filled with an incredible sense of well being and confidence, and he knew—given the surprised looks on his companions' faces—that they felt the same.

'Right,' said Lily with a small smile. 'Let's get a move on.'

She moved out of the room and James smiled at Remus. 'What a stroke of luck,' he murmured as he handed him the Invisibility cloak from his bag. Remus quickly covered himself and Peter with it and then the three of them went to follow Lily.

'You already cast the charm?' Lily asked as they stepped outside into the night.

'Yeah, we're right here,' Remus' voice came.

'That's magnificent, I can't see a thing,' Lily said. 'Nice work, Potter.'

James nodded. 'Wands out?' he suggested and Lily nodded. They moved silently towards the back alley where the village would peer down onto the forest. James squinted down at the forest's edge. 'I can't see a damn thing with these glasses sometimes,' he muttered.

'No matter—I can see you just fine,' came the silky voice of Gilles Rochefort. James turned, his wand pointed at the man who stood with his hands easily in his pockets as if he was out for an evening stroll. 'Really, Potter, cursing me now would be a futile exercise. You would never find your little friend again.'

James lowered his wand. 'You're alone?' he asked.

Rochefort laughed. 'I believe I am capable of handling two teenagers,' he mused. 'But I will take your wands just to be on the safe side.' He held out his hand. James and Lily begrudgingly handed their wands over as Rochefort smirked at them. 'Walk with me,' he commanded.

Rochefort turned and began to walk. Lily and James moved after him, their feet crunching the frosty grass as they did so. James couldn't hear a sound from Remus and Peter as they moved and wondered if they were still right behind them or if they were allowing a wide berth. James cast his gaze to the sky nervously, but there was still no sign of the moon.

'So, you didn't come out the way I anticipated you would. What changed?' Rochefort said conversationally.

'We found an easier way,' Lily replied curtly.

'And what was that?' Rochefort asked.

'None of your business,' she replied stubbornly.

Rochefort turned and sized her up, his magical eye spinning up and down her frame. 'We'll see about that,' he said with a crooked smile.

They continued on in silence, away from the village for a ways. They descended into a small valley which looked like nothing more than a swamp to James. 'Where are we going?' he asked.

'We have arrived,' Rochefort replied and he waved his wand. The swamp suddenly changed shape and James had the bizarre notion that it looked like a balloon inflating as it turned into a respectable manor.

'You've been this close to the school all this time?' James asked.

'Don't be foolish, of course not,' Rochefort said as they walked forward. James heard a rustle behind him and he turned to catch a fleeting glimpse of Remus running off into the low shrubbery and hiding. James gulped as he looked back at Rochefort who hadn't noticed.

'Voldemort is here?' Lily asked.

'Not yet, but he will arrive soon. On the off chance you decided not to come, we didn't want to disturb him with this,' Rochefort said as they arrived at the gate to the house and walked through. 'I will summon him once we are inside.'

'How will you do that?' James asked.

Rochefort smiled and pulled up the arm of his travelling cloak. James' stomach clenched as he saw the mark that had been raised into the sky over the train at the end of the previous year. 'I'll ask you again,' Rochefort said. 'Do you feel proud of the Mark you inspired?' he hissed.

Lily looked at James in shock. James grit his teeth. 'Where's Sirius?' he demanded.

'You'll be reunited with your little friend soon enough. What's left of him, anyway,' Rochefort said.

'What does that mean?' James asked sharply.

'No questions,' Rochefort said as they entered the house.

They moved quickly into a large dining hall where several Death Eaters stood. James' eyes narrowed as he spotted Lucius Malfoy. 'Well well,' Malfoy drawled. 'Nice to see you again, Potter.'

Several of the Death Eaters laughed. A positively maniacal looking woman stepped forward, her eyes roving over James and Lily. 'So,' she hissed. 'This is my little cousin's do-gooding friend James Potter,' she snapped.

'No playing with our food before we eat,' Rochefort said. 'The Dark Lord wants an audience with them, Bellatrix.'

The woman called Bellatrix snorted. 'If stupid little Sirius is any indication, he will be a lost cause,' she said irritably.

Rochefort raised his eyebrows. 'Perhaps you disagree with the Dark Lord's wishes?' he asked.

Bellatrix looked immediately affronted. 'Of course not,' she breathed.

'Then it is time we summoned him,' Rochefort said, lifting back the sleeve of his arm when it happened. James noticed it first—a glimmer of light shining through the window as the moon lifted into the sky. James heard a terrible cry issue from somewhere inside the house.

'Is someone tormenting Black again?' Malfoy drawled, but the agonized cry suddenly deepened in tone to a near roaring sound.

'What on…' Rochefort muttered as a loud crash followed by several banging and clawing sounds met their ears. The heavy footfalls of something massive sounded as the Death Eaters quickly drew their wands. 'Malfoy, go find out what that is—now,' Rochefort ordered.

Malfoy walked over to the door which suddenly burst inward. Remus' lycan form was a true terror to behold in the dark light as it roared, taking in the sight of fresh prey in front of them.

'Kill it!' one of the Death Eater shouted. The woman called Bellatrix cast a haze of quick spells at Remus, who merely shrugged them off and charged, causing them to scatter. One of the Death Eaters dropped his wand as he dove. James picked it up and threw it to Lily.

'Go get Sirius!' she called. 'STUPEFY!' she shouted, catching an unawares Death Eater in the face as Remus lunged upon him and tore his teeth into his flesh. The Death Eater screamed in agony as Remus tore at him, his fellows desperately casting spells to hold him at bay.

James cast a glance at Lily who was making for a far door and James went through the one that Remus had barged through. He quickly into a large kitchen, searching for some kind of a cellar door. 'Come on, be lucky, be lucky,' he hissed to himself as the sounds of carnage met his ears. As if bidden to appear, he came across a trap door which had a heavy padlock on it.

'Alohamora,' James commanded and the lock fell off. He opened the trap door and dropped down into the cellar. He had barely taken in his surroundings when he was hit from the side, falling to the floor and hearing his glasses skitter away. Someone leapt upon him and started swinging a frail fist at him. 'Stop! Stop, Sirius!' he bellowed.

'James?' Sirius' voice rasped. James grabbed his glasses and jammed them back onto his face. The fire had not done Sirius justice—he looked truly awful. 'What the hell is going on? What's that sound?'

'Moony,' James replied.

'You're kidding,' Sirius moaned.

'We've come to get you out of here—now,' James said. 'Can you move?'

'Not well,' Sirius grunted. 'That git Malfoy broke my leg, and that's to say nothing of Bellatrix,' he said in a strained voice.

James got to his feet and held out a hand to Sirius who clasped it. 'I'll support you. We need to get out, fast,' he said. They struggled up the staircase and into the kitchen, barely emerging completely when Rochefort rounded the corner and spotted them.

'You brat,' he hissed and pointed his wand at James. 'Avada—' he began, but a frying pan struck him in the back of the head. He sank to one knee in anger as Lily bounded around the corner.

'RUN!' she shouted as a slew of spells chased after her. They bolted out of the kitchen, narrowly avoiding another curse that had been sent their way by Rochefort. They hurtled through the massive house until they arrived in a room with a large glass door.

'Stupefy!' James yelled, pointing his wand at the door and causing it to shatter as they ran through. 'Brooms, now!' he called, but Rochefort was suddenly upon them. James dropped Sirius as he pulled Remus' wand out of his sack. 'Protego!' he shouted as Rochefort sent a stunning spell his way and it deflected neatly back at him, causing Rochefort to hurl himself aside.

'You ignorant little—' Rochefort began but Remus suddenly appeared in the doorway behind him. With a deafening roar, he charged at Rochefort, batting him aside and carrying straight on towards Sirius who lay on the ground.

'NO!' James yelled and he charged, slamming his body into Remus' side as hard as he could, knocking the wolf slightly off balance. Remus turned and gnashed his jaws at James angrily, sizing him up.

James ducked just in time as Remus lunged forward, Rochefort had cast a spell towards the back of James' head. With a stroke of luck, the spell careened into Remus' face, sending the wolf sprawling backwards. James rolled over and cried 'Expelliarmus!' at Rochefort who neatly deflected the spell.

'Impedimenta!' Lily shouted and James noticed she had three wands in her hand. The triple spell caught Rochefort off guard and he was momentarily spun off balance by the force of it.

'Opugno!' James yelled and the glass from the door lifted up from the ground and launched at Rochefort, whose shield charm was so swift it knocked James backwards and onto the ground.

Lily swirled her three wands over her head and James recognized the same boiling water spell she had cast on Avery and Mulciber in the school hallways the previous year. The bubbles shot towards Rochefort who rolled away as they exploded over the ground.

'Sirius!' Lily called and tossed him a wand—Sirius' wand, which she had somehow luckily procured.

'Diffindo!' Sirius called and his spell slipped just underneath Rochefort's outstretched arm and a gash opened up on his face. Rochefort bellowed in agony and swiped his wand at Sirius, who rolled desperately aside—screaming in agony as he did so—and out of the way of the spell, which scorched the earth where he had lay only a moment before.

'Expelliarmus!' James called again, but Rochefort spun on the spot to deflect it. Shock appeared on his face as Remus suddenly charged back into the fray directly at him. Bellatrix and Malfoy suddenly appeared in the doorway to the house.

'Crucio!' Bellatrix bawled at Remus who suddenly collapsed into spasms on the ground.

'Stupefy!' Sirius called from across the yard and his spell caught Bellatrix in the shoulder, spinning her directly into Malfoy who batted her aside.

'Crucio!' Malfoy tried to shout but Lily had pointed her wand at the fallen door which suddenly flew up and slammed into his chin, knocking him backwards onto the floor.

Rochefort leapt over Remus—who was still whimpering from the torture curse—and pointed his wand at James. 'Reducto!' he shouted.

'Protego!' Lily called at the same time and a shield charm sprung up in front of him, bouncing the spell back at Rochefort who was forced to duck again.

'Evans, catch!' James called, throwing her broom into the air. 'Go, now!'

Lily kicked off—she wasn't as strong a flier as James, but she had luck on her side. As Bellatrix cast what looked to be a killing curse after her, she slipped and nearly fell from her broom, causing the curse to sail over her head.

Remus was back on his feet and swung a massive arm at Bellatrix which struck her across the face, sending her crashing to the earth. He then turned his attention on Rochefort who yelled 'AVADA KEDAVARA!' and pointed his wand at Remus. The spell bounced harmlessly off the wolf who snarled and charged at Rochefort, lunging forward and striking out with one of his feet, catching Rochefort in the midsection and sending him sailing through the air.

'Sirius!' James called as he removed his Comet Two Sixty from his bag. Sirius laid himself across it and James straddled the end of the broom. He lifted off the ground and pointed his wand at Remus, who was about to slash at a prone Rochefort. James cursed himself mentally and cast a stunning spell which slammed into Remus' side. The wolf turned to see him, roared, and gave chase.

'Move, move, move!' Sirius yelped as James lifted off the ground and began to fly as quick as he could, but not so quick as to leave Remus behind. Remus ran tirelessly beneath him.

'Where do we take him?' Sirius called.

'Forbidden Forest!' James shouted. He looked back at the house just in time to see Rochefort cast a killing curse in his direction. 'Hang on!' James yelled and he rolled the broom. Sirius nearly slipped but managed to hang on as James righted them. He felt one of Remus' claws graze his boot as he did so.

Lily was suddenly on their other side. 'We did it!' she called ecstatically. 'We actually did it!'

They lured Remus into the forbidden forest and then landed on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Sirius sagged for a moment but James quickly hauled him up. 'We can't stay long,' James said. 'We need to get back to the castle, alert Dumbledore.'

'Now why would we do a thing like that?' came a voice from behind him.

It was like nothing James had ever heard. The sound was somewhat akin to a death knell—a high, cold sound that made every hair on James' neck stand straight on end. He could see the look of abject horror on Lily's face as she surveyed whatever was behind James.

He turned slowly and found himself looking into two crimson red eyes with slits for pupils, looking out at him from a flat white face. The mouth was curved into a small but eminently malicious smile which revealed pointed fangs for teeth. Two long slits for nostrils inhabited the face where a nose should have been.

'James Potter and Lily Evans,' Voldemort said in a soft voice. 'I've been expecting you.'


	13. Defiance and Flight

13

Time seemed to stand still for a moment as James stared up at the tall and imposing figure that was Lord Voldemort. He had a fleeting thought of everything that had happened in the last three years—the murder of Frank's family, the murder of Professor Bowen, the attack on the Hansons, the attack on James and Lily's families, and the assault on the train—but it all ended with the thought that their luck had just run out.

Sirius and Lily were not so frozen, however. James heard them both yell 'EXPELLIARMUS!' from behind him, but with a simple wave of his wand, Voldemort deflected the spells and suddenly caught their wands in his other outstretched hand. James raised his own but Voldemort laughed—a cold, mirthless sound.

'You will not need your wand, Potter,' Voldemort said softly. 'You could save the preamble and just hand it over.'

James backed up a step. 'And if I don't?' he said in what he hoped was a brave tone as he looked at what could only loosely be described as the man standing in front of him.

'I shall take it from you,' Voldemort said in a voice that could have been conversational, but conveyed just a hint of menace.

James' mind raced. 'You've been wanting to speak to me for some time,' he said.

'Oh yes,' Voldemort murmured.

'I have a condition.'

Voldemort laughed again and James felt a cold shiver run down his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature. 'A request?' Voldemort said. 'What could you possibly ask of me?'

'I'll come quietly if you let these two go,' James said.

'Don't be thick!' Sirius growled from the ground.

'I'm not going anywhere,' Lily added.

Voldemort looked at them both carefully. 'I'm afraid the girl must come as well. I have no interest in Sirius Black, however. So I will allow that.'

'What—' Sirius began, but Voldemort moved fast, grabbing James and Lily's arms and suddenly they were engulfed in an odd sensation like being squeezed through a very small space. Before they knew it, they were standing on a grassy marsh. Wind whipped around them and James could hear the crashing of waves—they were standing on a high cliff overlooking the ocean. They had just apparated.

'Now,' Voldemort said. He waved his wand and suddenly it was quite silent. 'We can talk.'

James realized that at some point during apparating, Voldemort had taken his wand. Voldemort dropped their wands to the ground beside him; James exchanged a glance with Lily who bit her lip worriedly.

'I have no intention of harming you,' Voldemort said. 'Quite the contrary. You two are quite valuable.'

Lily stuck her chin out. 'Well we have no intention of joining you,' she said. 'No matter how valuable you think we are.'

Voldemort's eyes glinted. 'That remains to be seen,' he said. 'You have given my loyal followers more than their share of trouble. Some of that has been due to Dumbledore's protection, but you have displayed a fair amount of skill for your age. I value such commodities—as I am sure you are aware, the Ministry of Magic does not value youth.'

Lily folded her arms. 'Isn't it also true that you don't value anyone of pure blood descent?' she asked.

Voldemort turned his gaze upon her and his expression was unreadable. 'Everyone would have a part to play in my new regime.'

'And what part would someone like me play?' Lily went on. 'A slave? A prisoner? We know exactly who you are and what you are trying to do, and we want no part of it.'

'You speak for the both of you?' Voldemort asked.

'She does,' James replied. 'You're nothing more than a common murderer.'

Voldemort laughed again. 'I happen to be an exceptional murderer,' he replied. 'But let's cut down to the chase. To whose murder are we referring?'

'The Longbottom family and Artemis Bowen,' James replied.

Voldemort spread his arms wide. 'But that was not I; Gilles Rochefort was the one who murdered them.'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'You may not have put a finger to them, but you're the reason they are dead! And what about Professor Mondego?'

'Cristobal Mondego is quite safe,' Voldemort replied. 'I have use for him.'

'We know what sort of uses you have for people,' James said as his mind raced. In the corner of his eye he could see the cliff's edge a few feet away. If they could get to it and jump…

'You must know,' Voldemort said in a low voice. 'That a conflict is coming. The Ministry will soon find itself in a state of open war with my loyal supporters. The time is going to come to choose sides, and I would implore the two of you to carefully consider which side you would like to be on…the victors, who shall prosper in my new world order…or the defeated, who will be hunted down and exterminated.'

James set his mind. 'I think I'll join you,' he said.

Voldemort's face was unreadable. 'You will?' he said.

'Yeah,' James said, ignoring Lily's stunned look. 'When hell freezes over. LILY!' he shouted and he charged.

Voldemort had not expected it and it gave James a split second advantage. They had been standing only a few feet apart and Voldemort had not had his wand in his hand. James hurtled into the Dark Lord's midsection. They crashed to the ground and James leapt to his feet in time to see Lily grab their wands.

'JUMP!' James called and Lily ran to the cliff's edge. James took off after her, sparing a quick glance back to see Voldemort was already on his feet and pointing his wand at him. He saw the lips move and a flash of green light, but suddenly his feet were no longer under him. He was rocketing down through the night sky over the side of the cliff. He reached into his side bag and hauled out his Comet Two Sixty, straddling it in time to launch down even faster so he could get under Lily and catch her.

'Where do we go now?' Lily asked in a panicked tone as James launched back up.

James was about to reply, but his blood ran cold once more—Voldemort was flying down towards them as if he was riding the air. James bellowed in fright and turned the broom into a vertical dive down towards the water.

'LEFT!' Lily shouted. James veered left in time to avoid a flashing curse from Voldemort. 'LEFT AGAIN!' Lily called and James veered hard, pulling up sharply to avoid smashing into the face of the cliff. They climbed hard and fast, the wind whipping at James' eyes and causing them to water. They flew back up over the cliff's edge and kept climbing up towards the clouds in the sky. 'GO RIGHT, GO RIGHT!' Lily shouted in a shrill voice. James veered aside just as another flash of green light scorched past, the force of the spell causing a wake that ruffled James' hair. So close.

'STUPEFY!' Lily shouted. She then unleashed a string of other curses. James spared a glance back—Voldemort was barely twenty feet behind them, and he waved his wand easily to deflect the curses that Lily was vehemently sending back at him.

'Hang on!' James yelled and he leaned down to his broomstick causing them to go even faster. The sudden lurch forward nearly dislodged Lily, but she hung on as James arched quickly back and forth, trying to prevent Voldemort from having a stationary target to hit. They broke through the cloud cover and James could suddenly see lights in the distance. He squinted as the outline of a small village appeared—Hogsmeade.

'Drop, drop!' Lily shouted and James immediately obeyed as more curses flew overtop of their heads.

'Hang on, we're going to the deck!' James called and he dove back down beneath the cloud cover, making a mental note of where the lights had been. Down they dove, breaking through once again. James looked back and saw Voldemort hurtle through the cloud cover after them. He spared another look down and saw they were headed right for a forest. James set his teeth and leaned forward, racing down through the tree tops until they were almost at ground level.

A mistake now would be disastrous—James dipped, juked and bobbed quickly as they hurtled through the woods at top speed. He was aware of a high pitched shrieking and suddenly realized it was Lily, who could only watch as they nearly hit branches and tree trunks only to veer aside at the last possible moment. James did not dare to look back to see if Voldemort was still following them, but the next moment he heard Lily shout 'IMPEDIMENTA!' followed by a loud crack as a tree fell. James veered hard to avoid a splintered tree stump and felt something tug at his side as he did so. He paid it no mind and flew on.

He could see the trees thinning ahead and new they were approaching the end of the forest. He squinted as he suddenly saw the outlines of a great many people—for one moment, his heart dropped as he thought of Death Eaters. He was about to pull up when something large and red flew at him—he didn't move to avoid it as he was captivated by its beauty; a magnificent red bird soared over his head and back towards Voldemort. James looked forward again and could make out individuals at the edge of the forest now; standing at their forefront as Dumbledore.

James pelted through the edge of the forest and then came to a halt, skidding to the ground. He looked back to see the red bird soaring gracefully back out of the forest.

'Go,' Dumbledore said sternly to a group of the others who kicked off on brooms into the night sky. He held out his arm and the red bird landed gracefully upon it. 'Well done, Fawkes,' he murmured.

'What just happened?' James panted, wincing as the adrenaline began to wear off.

'Voldemort caught sight of that bird and took off,' Lily said between deep breaths.

'Are you two alright?' Dumbledore asked gently.

'I think so,' Lily said.

'James?' Dumbledore asked.

James meant to answer but suddenly found he couldn't. He felt a tremendous pain in his side and he sank to one knee. 'Potter?' Lily asked worriedly.

James was suddenly surrounded by people that he didn't recognize. Dumbledore had brought a large group of Aurors with him. He clapped his hand to his side and it came away warm and sticky with blood. He must have grazed the tree branch that he worked so hard to avoid.

'The others…' James said through gritted teeth.

'Sirius and Peter are both safe, back at Hogwarts,' came his father's voice. James squinted and could see Mr. Potter looking down at him as one of the other Aurors waved his wand over James' side.

'I can patch this up somewhat here, but getting him back to the school infirmary would be best,' the Auror muttered. James realized it was Engelland; black was beginning to nibble at the edges of James' vision as he suddenly felt light headed.

'Dad…' James whispered.

'Yes, son?' Mr. Potter asked.

'I told him…I'd join him…when hell froze over,' he said with a faint smile. And then everything went black.

It was a sensation that gave James a distinct feeling of déjà vu. He was not conscious, but he was not dreaming either. He could hear voices somewhere in the distance.

'Just can't get enough of watching him sleep, can you?' said one friendly and familiar voice.

'Oh come off it,' replied a higher but altogether more pleasant voice. 'We just had one hell of a night.'

The other voice chuckled. 'He'll appreciate it,' he said. 'So do I.'

'Don't get all mushy on me, Sirius,' the other voice replied.

James' eyes fluttered open. 'That's Sirius,' he muttered as memory and consciousness came flooding back to him. 'A big romantic at heart.'

Sirius roared with delight and jumped off of his bed. He still looked awful—his face was battered and bruised in many places and in some instances he resembled an Egyptian Mummy—Madam Pomfrey had clearly spared no expense in wrapping his wounds.

The other voice had belonged to Lily Evans, who sat looking just the same as ever at the end of the bed. James grinned. 'How do you always get out of these messes unscathed, Evans?' he said.

Lily smiled back. 'I've developed a knack for using human shields, Potter,' she replied. 'How are you feeling?'

James tried to sit up and immediately sat back down. 'Stiff,' he grunted.

'Madam Pomfrey had a dickens of a time fixing you. You turned yourself into a human shisk-a-bob,' Sirius said proudly. 'The whole school knows.'

'I did what?' James asked.

'Impaled yourself!' Sirius said as Lily shuddered. 'You had a nice big tree branch sticking out of you—it went clean through your ribs and punctured a lung.' He looked extremely impressed. 'And you managed to keep flying!'

James shook his head. 'Not like there was much of a choice,' he said darkly.

'Yeah, I know,' Sirius said. 'Evans filled me in.'

'Dumbledore sure scared him off in a hurry, though,' Lily said.

A sudden thought occurred to James. 'What happened to Remus?' he asked.

Lily smiled. 'He's a quick thinker. He woke up somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, sometime after the moon went down but before the sun came up. He managed to get back into the Shrieking Shack without alerting anyone.'

'And Peter?' James asked.

'Didn't mention a thing about Remus,' Lily said.

'I have to say—that was a pretty daring plan,' Sirius said. 'I didn't think that Moony had it in him.'

'You were in danger,' James replied. 'It's what we do.'

James felt suddenly emotional as he looked at his best friend. Battered and bruised almost beyond repair, Sirius still gazed at him with that cocky grin that virtually defined their friendship. Casting aside his stiffness, James got out of his hospital bed and approached Sirius, pulling him roughly into an embrace. 'You ever go missing on me again and _I__'__ll_be the one who kills you,' James muttered.

'Duly noted,' Sirius said with a laugh. 'Thanks for coming for me,' he added into James' shoulder.

'Anytime, brother,' James murmured.

'Don't I get any appreciation?' Lily said in a tone of mock hurt. Sirius broke away from James and swooped her into a big hug. 'Not that much!' she cried.

'Oh, that was a bad idea,' Sirius groaned as he put her back down and gingerly rubbed his arm. 'Don't let me forget I have to kill Bellatrix.'

'Is she really your cousin?' James asked.

Sirius nodded, a positively dark look on his face. 'That'll just make killing her all the more fun,' he declared.

'C'mere, Evans,' James said. Lily looked surprised as James spread his arms. She hesitated and then they embraced. 'You were marvelous out there,' he said.

'Careful Potter, you're paying me a compliment,' Lily replied sarcastically.

James chuckled as he broke the embrace and sat back down. 'That's not out of character. What would be out of character is _you_complimenting _me_,' he said. 'How long was I out for?'

'Two days,' Sirius said. 'Remus and Peter should be back any moment. Once Minister Bagnold hears you're awake, she'll want to talk to you…as will Crouch…as will Dumbledore…as will your parents…'

'Maybe I should just pretend to be asleep,' James muttered.

'Maybe we should just get out of the hospital wing?' Sirius replied.

'Don't be silly,' Lily said. 'Neither of you is in any condition to leave.'

Sirius sighed. 'It's clear why you and Moony get on so well,' he said. 'You both love rules. We're just going to have to break you.'

Lily scoffed. 'Good luck,' she said.

'Oh we're like the ocean, Evans,' James said. 'Eroding you over time. Little waves of James and Sirius lapping against you.'

Lily laughed in spite of herself. The door opened and Remus and Peter strolled into the hospital wing. 'He's finally awake!' Remus said as they bounded over. 'Are you okay? How are you feeling? Does it still hurt? Did I almost bite you? They said I didn't, but—' he fired off.

'Easy, Mom,' James joked. 'I'm fine and no, you didn't bite me. I think we had enough luck for that.'

'You had luck, I had pure talent,' Sirius said cheerily.

'We had liquid luck, I think you just had dumb luck,' Lily pointed out to a laugh from James.

'How did they know where to find us, by the way?' James asked.

Peter spoke up. 'The trace,' he said. 'I ran back to the school. I got to Hogsmeade in time to find Sirius and he said you guys had already gone off. I went to the Three Broomsticks and Madam Rosmerta,' he stammered as his cheeks went slightly pink, 'raised the alarm. Once you broke away from that house and started using magic, the Ministry was able to hone in on you. Dumbledore took the Aurors down to the forest and then you showed up.'

'Brilliant,' James said. 'Never thought I'd be so happy that the Ministry was keeping tabs on us. You did good, Peter.'

'Wish I could have done more,' he mumbled.

'We all do,' Sirius grunted.

'I'm just sorry we didn't manage to kill any of them,' James grunted. 'Well—apart from Moony. That was something else.'

Remus flushed. 'I'm sure he deserved it,' he said in a small voice.

'You saved our lives,' Lily said firmly. 'No one would hold that against you. But remember—officially, you were never there.'

'Which means our legend will simply grow!' James said with a chuckle. 'You should have seen it, Remus—Malfoy was casting curses at us, but Lily hurled a door right into his face. I think he was knocked out cold!'

Sirius barked with laughter. 'Nicely done, Evans,' he said.

'Well, Sirius caught Rochefort in the face with a nice curse! With any luck, it will leave a scar,' Lily replied.

James closed his eyes dreamily. 'I'm going to savor the image of you slamming him in the head with a frying pan for the rest of my life, Evans,' he said and they all laughed. 'I think I was the only one who didn't manage to hit that miserable git with something.'

'You were a little focused on saving the rest of us,' Lily replied. 'You stopped Remus from attacking Sirius.'

Remus whirled on Sirius. 'You said I never got close!' he nearly shouted.

'Oh it was a few feet, I had lots of room,' Sirius replied.

'Are you insane?' Remus began.

'Relax, I got you and then you attacked Rochefort instead. You just needed some gentle prodding in the right direction,' James said with a chuckle.

'So is it true about Voldemort?' Peter asked suddenly.

'Is what true?' James asked.

'You rushed him? And tackled him?'

James chuckled. 'I guess it is, yeah,' he said.

Sirius clapped in approval as Remus and Peter went bug eyed. They were about to ask more questions when the door to the infirmary opened. Dumbledore strolled in, waving his wand idly behind him causing the door to close and lock. They heard muffled shouts of anger from the other side of the door.

'You have people who wish to speak with you, James, but I'm afraid that as Headmaster, I insist on first crack,' he said with a smile.

James gulped. 'Do they have to leave?' James asked, gesturing to the others.

'Not at all,' Dumbledore said as he sat down. He looked at James over the rims of his half moon spectacles for a moment before he sighed. 'Your father is wondering if he's ever going to live to be an old man, given how many heart attacks you are nearly giving him.'

James said nothing—the words were harsh, but Dumbledore's face was kind.

'There are not many people, James, who have defied Lord Voldemort and lived to tell the tale,' Dumbledore went on. 'All of you showed extreme bravery and prodigious skill two nights ago. But this has also accelerated things somewhat.'

'What do you mean?' Lily asked with a frown.

Dumbledore regarded his carefully. 'Voldemort is now out in the open and his intentions are clear. This is the first time anyone has witnessed him in connection with the actions of the Death Eaters, which means that the full might of the Ministry is now concentrated upon him.'

'That's a good thing, right?' James asked.

'Somewhat,' Dumbledore replied. 'Remember what Madam Bones said about potential infiltrations…I fear it might already be too late to prevent such things.'

'Well then, the heck with the Ministry,' James said. 'We're against Voldemort, we'll just do things ourselves.'

Sirius nodded fervently. 'We've managed to do just as much as the Ministry and we're still in school!' he said.

'And we'll keep on defying Voldemort for as long as it takes,' Lily added.

'Until the battle is won, Remus clarified to a nod from Peter.

Dumbledore smiled at them. 'Remember that you all said this. The bonds of friendship that you all have for each other are quite possibly the strongest weapons we can employ against Lord Voldemort,' he said. He stood from his chair. 'Now, I regret that I cannot deny your visitors the chance to subject you to a variety of inquisitions, James,' he said.

'Bring it on,' James replied. 'After meeting Voldemort, can this really be any worse?' he said to a chuckle from his friends.


	14. Interviews and Oceans

14

The next day passed at an excruciatingly slow pace. James' friends had not been exaggerating—it seemed that everyone and their cousin wanted to talk to the kids who had managed to defy Lord Voldemort. For a Ministry that had been loathe to mention his name for fear of provoking all out war, it now seemed to be out in the open and accepted as fact that he was a grave threat that needed to be dealt with at any cost.

It had not just been Ministry employees who had come calling upon James. Minister Bagnold had tried to get James and Sirius, who was also still in the hospital wing, on side with the idea of giving an interview to the Daily Prophet. The idea behind it was to instill hope that someone could face Voldemort and live to walk away and fight another day. Dumbledore was rather against the idea, and James had sided with the Headmaster, much to the Minister's disappointment.

By far the least pleasant interview that James had to endure was with the new head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a rather severe looking wizard named Bartemius Crouch.

'Let's go through this again,' Crouch said for what seemed like the eighth time. 'How did the Death Eater we found in the living room of the house come to die?'

'I told you, I have no idea,' James said.

'It looked almost as though he was ripped to pieces by a wild animal,' Crouch pressed.

James shrugged. 'Maybe he got hit by one of his own mates' curses? I told you, I was kind of running for my life at that point.'

'And Ms. Evans? Where was she?' Crouch asked.

James' eyes narrowed. He was sympathetic to people doing their jobs, but he was not altogether sure he liked Crouch's tone. 'She was in the same boat, Mr. Crouch. I don't think either of us knows how to cast a spell that would do what you're describing.'

Crouch pursed his lips as he searched James' face. He seemed satisfied. 'Alright,' he said. 'And once again, if we can go through the list of individuals that you can positively identify from the night?'

'Lucius Malfoy, Gilles Rochefort, and—what was the last one, Sirius?' James asked.

'Bellatrix Lestrange,' Sirius supplied.

Crouch nodded. 'A question for you, Mr. Potter. Do you think that being educated in the Unforgiveable Curses might have provided you an extra advantage during this affair?'

James frowned and cast a look at Sirius who looked surprised. 'I guess,' James said. 'But that's illegal, isn't it?'

'Yes, it is. I'm merely posing a hypothetical question,' Crouch replied, his face impassive.

'Well then—hypothetically—yes. It would put us on an even playing ground with the people who are trying to kill us,' James said.

Crouch nodded. 'I think that will be all for now. If I have any additional questions, I will be sure to let you know promptly.'

'Can't wait,' James said dryly. Crouch left the hospital wing and Sirius grunted as he propped himself up on his bed. 'What was that about?' James mused.

Sirius shrugged. 'I've often wondered why it is that the bad guys can use these spells and we can't. I mean, why not fight fire with fire?'

'I suppose,' James said. 'How are you feeling?'

'Probably better than you. I had all my interviews out of the way days ago,' he said with a grimace. 'It feels like they're poking around a bit too much about Moony's involvement, though,' he added in a whisper.

'They can't prove anything,' James said. 'And we just need to keep our mouths shut.'

Sirius looked thoughtful. 'Dumbledore must know,' he said at last.

'How?' James said.

'Come on,' Sirius replied. 'It looks like a savage animal attacked that Death Eater and ripped the house apart, and every single one of Remus' friends was in on this except for Remus himself?'

'He might suspect, but he doesn't know,' James said firmly. 'And either way—he hasn't said anything.'

'True,' Sirius replied.

The door to the hospital wing opened and James looked up, half-expecting Remus and Peter to be strolling in that very moment. Class should have let out a few minutes previous for the day, and Remus was usually bound to come and deliver homework that James absolutely did not want to do.

It was with a sinking feeling of disappointment when James saw Severus Snape stalking towards them. He and Sirius each sat up a little straighter in their beds—under his blanket, James clutched his wand and knew Sirius was doing the same.

'Alright, Snape?' James asked.

Snape's eyes flickered from Sirius to James. 'You are a monumental fool,' he hissed.

'Well gee, thanks, Snivellus. Remind me to send you a get well card too next time you're in here,' James said sarcastically.

'You know what I'm talking about!' Snape said, his face going red. 'How could you have brought Lily into that—that—amount of danger? What in the hell were you thinking?'

James sighed. 'I think we've been over this before,' he said impatiently. 'She makes her own decisions, I don't do any of this for her. She insisted.'

'Then you should have insisted she stay out of it!' Snape hissed.

'They would have killed Sirius,' James replied.

'A fair price to pay,' Snape snarled.

'Oi!' Sirius said as he hauled himself out of bed. 'Just because I'm crippled doesn't mean I won't beat you into the middle of next week,' he snapped.

'Sirius, sit down,' James said firmly. Sirius looked mutinous but obeyed. 'Snivelly, you have no idea what it means to be a friend. And I think you're overlooking the choices that Lily made. If you're angry that someone put her in harm's way, she's the one you should be talking to—but I think that would be a horrendously stupid move, even for you.'

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'Don't mock me, Potter, I'm warning you,' he hissed. 'You have no idea of the danger you have placed her in.'

'What? That Voldemort now intends to kill us?'

Snape winced at the name. 'Yes, that is exactly what I mean,' he snapped.

'Maybe you can put a word in with your Death Eater friends to spare her,' Sirius said maliciously.

Snape's lip curled. 'Don't talk about things you haven't got the faintest clue about, Black.'

'You say that a lot. Exactly what is it we're supposed to be picking up on?' James said hotly. 'Whenever the going gets tough you're almost nowhere to be found, yet you come in after the fact and start berating us for getting the love of your life into danger.'

If Snape was red before, it was nothing to the deep crimson color his face was now. 'I—that's beside—totally unrelated—you—' he was spluttering.

'I think you've struck a nerve,' Sirius said with a grin. 'Does ickle Snivelly have a little crush on Evans?'

Snape drew his wand, but at that exact moment, the door to the hospital wing opened. Lily stood there with Remus and Peter at her side. The three of them blinked, taking in the scene of Snape—wand in hand—standing at the foot of James and Sirius' beds.

'What's going on?' Lily asked in a cool voice.

'Just having a discussion,' Snape said quickly, his wand disappearing back into his robes.

Lily's eyes flicked to James who shrugged as Lily, Remus and Peter strolled into the room. 'And what was the discussion about?' Lily asked.

'About just who decided what we should do about Sirius being taken,' James said evenly. 'Sev here wanted to know exactly how the plan formulated.'

Snape scowled at James. 'Can I talk to you, Lily?' he whispered.

'You're talking to me now,' she said at regular volume. Her gaze was somewhat cold.

'I mean in private,' he added.

She regarded him carefully for a moment before she nodded and they both left the room. Peter looked around nervously. 'Talk about your awkward friendships,' he muttered. 'I don't know why she even bothers.'

'So what did he really want?' Remus asked.

'Oh the usual,' Sirius said cheerfully. 'James and I are arrogant berks who deserve to die, that sort of thing.'

'Should I go hex him?' Peter asked helpfully.

James looked at him in surprise. 'You? Hex him?' he asked.

Peter flushed slightly. 'I've got to make up for being useless the other night somehow,' he muttered.

Remus patted him on the shoulder. 'You did your part, Peter—you alerted Dumbledore to what was going on. If you hadn't, James and Lily might be dead right now. They have you to thank for that.'

'Yeah, Peter, don't go trying to overcompensate,' Sirius added.

'But you guys did all the fighting!' Peter complained.

James laughed. 'Would you have cared to switch places?'

Peter flushed. 'I just feel like I could have done more.'

'Don't be ridiculous, we've just said you did plenty,' Remus said more sternly. 'Did Madam Pomfrey say when she expected you two would be out of here?'

'Tomorrow for me, the day after for James,' Sirius said.

'Ugh, I can't wait,' James muttered. 'If I have to go through one more round of interviews I might just put myself into a coma.'

'And how are your Mum and Dad doing?' Remus asked.

'They're fine,' James replied. They had been to see him after he had woken up, just before the onslaught of interviews with various Ministry witches and wizards had begun. Mr. Potter had gone off to discuss a few things with Dumbledore while Mrs. Potter had stayed and bullied away anyone who badgered James too much. They had finally left the previous day. 'I think they're rattled, but otherwise OK. What's going on in the outside world?'

'You missed first Quidditch Practice of the year,' Remus said. 'Gideon joked that they've been looking for an excuse to be rid of you for a while, and having a run in with Voldemort looks like the best way to do it.'

James chuckled. 'Git,' he muttered. 'How do the others look? Who flew in my place?'

'No one,' Remus said. 'Dorcas was pretty stubborn about that.'

James felt a swell of pride and affection for his Quidditch Captain. 'And how are Frank and Alice?' he asked.

'What do you mean?' Remus said with a frown.

'Has Frank asked anything about what happened?' James added.

Remus chewed his lip for a moment. 'Not so much. He does listen to what everyone else says, though—I think he's trying to keep his distance and not be too pushy for questions, but I think he's dying for information.'

'I'll be sure to talk to him when I get out of here. You guys going to dinner soon?'

Peter nodded. 'Yeah, should we bring you anything?'

James stroked his chin. 'Well, I'm feeling pretty good…how do you guys feel about visiting the kitchens tonight?'

'Oooooh, that's a great idea,' Sirius said with a grin.

'I don't know, you two are supposed to be getting bed rest,' Remus said.

'I'll sleep when I'm dead,' Sirius declared. 'What time should we go? You'll need to come up here with the cloak!'

Remus sighed, defeated as Peter rubbed his hands together excitedly. 'Say ten o'clock?'

'Great,' James grinned.

As the evening wore on, James and Sirius found it more and more difficult to amuse themselves. Sometime later, Sirius fell asleep—his loud snores preventing James from doing the same. Madam Pomfrey dimmed the lights in the hospital wing as eight o'clock approached.

The door to the infirmary opened, causing James to check his watch. It was well before Remus and Peter were due. He grabbed his glasses and squinted to see Lily's outline sitting down next to his bed. 'You awake?' she asked.

'Yeah. Kind of hard to sleep with a dragon breathing next to you,' James chuckled with a glance at Sirius. 'How'd things go with Sev?'

Lily sighed. 'I just want it to be summer,' she muttered. 'So he can go back to normal.'

James was thoughtful for a moment. 'He blames me for putting you in danger,' he said at last. 'He was worried.'

'I know. He doesn't hesitate to tell me anything bad about you,' she said dryly.

'And what do you think?' James asked.

Lily snorted. 'I'm a big girl, I make my own choices. If someone's going to get hurt because of me, of course I'm going to help.'

'What did Sev say to that?'

'That it's not practical,' Lily said the words stiffly. 'Sometimes he can be so thick. It's like I'm the only person I should be worried about, you know? Like just 'look out for number one', and that's all he ever seems to say.'

James shrugged. 'Well, he is in Slytherin. They're supposed to be individualistic and have a strong sense of self preservation.'

'I guess,' Lily muttered darkly. 'But it makes him insufferable sometimes.'

'Now it sounds like you're talking about me,' James said.

Lily laughed quietly. 'No, you're insufferable most of the time.'

'Except for when it really counts,' James said quietly.

Lily looked at him with that bizarre facial expression again, the same one she had worn the night they were planning to get Sirius back, when James had indignantly declared that they were Remus' best friends when Lily had been surprised they knew about his 'furry little problem'.

'What are you thinking about?' James asked.

'What?' Lily asked.

'You have a funny look on your face,' James replied.

Lily looked down at the ground. 'I was just thinking you're right. When it really counts, you seem to be on your game.'

James smiled. 'Careful, Evans—that sounds like a compliment.'

'Oh stuff it,' she said, but she was still smiling. 'So how did you find out about Remus?'

'Not much to tell, really—the clues were staring us in the face from day one. Peter even had a book on moon cycles and we still didn't really clue in. It wasn't until we saw him being brought back in one time from one of his nights…he was in terrible shape.'

Lily frowned. 'How did you see that?'

James grinned. 'We're very stealthy, you don't give us enough credit.'

Lily chuckled. 'That's because you usually go gallivanting around the castle at maximum volume,' she said.

'True,' James replied. 'Anyway—we also followed him and Madam Pomfrey out to the Whomping Willow one night in our first year.'

'How did you avoid being seen?' Lily interjected.

James shrugged. 'It's a kind of magic,' he said with a wink. Lily rolled her eyes and James went on. 'Anyway, that excursion didn't go well—we didn't know how to stop the willow from, well, whomping, and we all get sent flying a few times.'

'That would have been fun to see,' Lily said.

'It was amusing,' James said. 'So we followed them out another time and saw how Madam Pomfrey stopped the tree, and then we followed him in.'

'But that was incredibly dangerous!' Lily said.

'Well, we didn't exactly know that, did we?' James replied. 'We had no idea what he was until he actually transformed right in front of us. We got out as quick as we could, and then when he was himself the next day we told him it didn't change a thing. He was still our Loony—or Moony, I guess—and that was that.'

Lily shook her head. 'You're unusual,' she said after a moment.

'In a lot of ways, I know,' James replied.

'I mean that as a compliment. A lot of people would have turned their backs on Remus. He was terrified when I found out…but I guess since I grew up around Muggles, it's just not a big deal to me. But apparently, most wizards revile werewolves.'

James shrugged. 'Once a month he's lethal. As long as he takes precautions, how is he any different from us?'

Lily smiled. 'You're a good friend.'

'The best,' James said cockily. 'Don't you forget it.'

Sirius gave a particularly loud snore from his bed. 'So how did you find out?' James asked.

'Oh, I was much more academic,' Lily said. 'Just for fun, I was reading some advanced defense books.'

'You have a peculiar definition of 'fun',' James chided.

'Anyway,' Lily soldiered on. 'I started to put things together and I called him on it. He really doesn't have a very good poker face, but then he opened up and became a lot more relaxed.'

James smiled. 'That might have been a less life threatening way to find out,' he said with a grin. 'So is Sev still mad?' he asked, changing the subject abruptly.

Lily shrugged. 'He thinks you're bad news.'

'And what do you think?' James asked.

Lily looked at him carefully. 'I think I said it before—I make my own decisions, Potter.'

They looked at each other for a moment. James felt his heart skip a beat as they looked into each other's eyes. He had never truly noticed before how bright, vividly green they were.

'Moony?' grumbled Sirius from his bed as he rolled over. James and Lily both jumped slightly out of their moment and looked over at him as he wiped his eyes. 'Oh, hi Evans,' he yawned. 'Come to bring us supper?'

'Do I look like a maid?' Lily said with a laugh.

'You look a damn sight better than our family elf,' Sirius chuckled.

'I should let you two rest,' Lily said and she stood up. 'Hope you both feel better soon,' she added quickly and she left.

Sirius looked at James as the door closed. 'Did I interrupt something again?' he asked.

James shrugged. 'I think I was right before—about us being like the ocean,' he said with a grin.


	15. Fame and Revenge

15

It was with great relief that James and Sirius were both finally allowed to leave the hospital wing. Remus had done his best to warn them that 'the legend' of their adventure that night had already spread through the whole school, and their group was entering Hogwarts folklore. Except for Remus, of course, who was never there—something Sirius reminded him of with a nudge and wink fairly frequently.

But this was not hammered quite home for James until he arrived back at his first class in several days, Defense Against the Dark Arts. The classroom—made up of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs—stood and burst into applause, with even Madam Bones joining in lightly from the front of the class. Her younger brother Edgar clapped James heartily on the back—'Well done, Potter! Well done!' he cheered.

'Perhaps,' Madam Bones boomed from the front of the class, 'you should assist with running our lesson today, Mr. Potter?'

James chuckled. 'Unless you happen to have a vial of Felix Felicis, I don't know if I'd be able to duplicate much of what we did that night.'

'So it's true you used your liquid luck?' asked another Hufflepuff student.

'Is it true you out flew He Who Must Not Be Named on your broomstick?' asked a Gryffindor.

'I—who?' James asked, confused.

Madam Bones cleared her throat. 'It is becoming altogether common, class, that people are not referring to this…Dark Lord…by his name. It strikes fear into the heart of the wizarding community,' she added with a frown.

James snorted. 'Well I've got no problem calling him Voldemort,' he said to muffled gasps from around the room.

'That's because you defied him and lived to tell the tale!' Peter added eagerly.

'What was it like?' came a quiet voice from the far side of the room and James saw Frank looking at him with a ghostly expression. James' smile died as he saw Alice reach across the desk and squeeze his hand.

James cast a look at Madam Bones who nodded. He then looked over at Lily who stood up and they both walked over to the front of the class. 'He doesn't really look like a man,' Lily said quietly. 'He looks like a…' she paused to find the word.

'Snake,' James provided. 'His eyes are red slits…he doesn't really have a nose…and his skin looks like rock.'

The class looked up at him with open mouthed awe.

'And he can fly—without a broom,' Lily added.

A low whistle came from the back. 'How did you manage to fend him off?' Frank asked in a near whisper.

'Potter rushed him,' Lily said. Edgar cheered and applause started again. 'He'd taken our wands—I guess he was arrogant enough to think we wouldn't try anything. So Potter charged and then we jumped off a cliff.'

'And he had his broomstick in his side pack, because Remus taught him how to do an undetectable extension charm!' Peter said excitedly.

'Let them tell the story, Peter,' Sirius murmured.

'What happened next?' Alice asked nervously.

'You've seen Potter fly before,' Lily said with a slight smirk. 'I rode on the back and cast everything I knew to try and keep him away from us.'

'Did you hit him with anything?' Frank asked.

'I wish I could say I had,' Lily said.

'She was fantastic. Even if she didn't hit him, she kept him on the defensive long enough for us to get down into the trees.'

'And then he fled at the sight of Dumbledore,' Alice stated.

'That's right,' James replied.

'And what about Rochefort?' asked another Gryffindor student.

'Sirius and Lily both got pretty good licks in on him. With any luck he'll have some permanent scars…something we can hope to add to next time we see him,' James said.

Madam Bones nodded. 'Let us hope that day does not come for some time,' she said carefully. 'Alright, everyone—books out, turn to page one hundred and twenty eight.'

As class let out, James separated himself from Remus, Peter and Sirius and ran over to Frank who was staring out a window. 'Frank?' James asked. 'You alright?'

Frank nodded. 'I wish you'd told me,' he said quietly. 'I would have liked to come.'

James had expected this. He nodded. 'It crossed my mind,' he said. 'But I didn't want to risk your life. There was a really good chance that we all could have been killed,' he said.

'Danger isn't a concern to me,' Frank said. 'You're my friend—Sirius is my friend. And the chance to get Rochefort…' he clenched his fists. 'I just wish I could have come.'

James tried to smile. 'With any luck, we'll have made him angry enough to try coming at us again,' he said slowly.

Frank looked at him evenly. 'Don't leave me out of these things again…please?' he said. 'I respect why you didn't tell me—but that man murdered my family. I want to…I need to have a chance to get him.'

James nodded slowly. 'You have my word,' he said. 'I'll keep you in the loop from now on.'

'Everything okay?' Alice asked as she appeared at their side. Marlene McKinnon was with her.

'Fine,' Frank said with an attempt at a smile. 'Shall we move along?' he asked and he and Alice strolled off. James noticed Marlene was staring at him.

'Something I can help you with…?' James asked.

'Tell me about Sirius!' Marlene gushed suddenly. 'You said he hit Rochefort—how was it?'

James laughed. 'Come on, we'll walk and talk,' he said cheerily.

The attention didn't let up for the whole day. Professor Slughorn proudly hauled James and Lily up to the head of the class—and spared no expense taking credit for the aid of the Felix Felicis in the night's event—while Professor McGonagall awarded twenty points to Gryffindor for each of James, Lily, Peter and Sirius.

There was at least one person who was still in a foul mood over the whole debacle, and that was Severus Snape. More than once, they passed him arguing with Lily in hushed tones throughout the hallways.

'I don't know what she sees in him,' Marlene said as they made their way back to the dormitory at the end of the day. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had found themselves joined by Frank, Alice, Marlene and Mary McDonald as they walked through the hallways. 'That boy is vile.'

'You're preaching to the choir, here,' Sirius said with a lopsided grin.

'I'd like to know what she sees in him too,' James grumped.

Frank smiled. 'Come on, I think you've made some good headway,' he said.

'Speaking of headway—how was Hogsmeade for you, Frank?' James asked with a raised eyebrow. Frank flushed slightly, but Alice didn't notice.

'Just like everyone else—things kind of went haywire when Sirius went missing,' he said.

'Oh well, there's always next time,' James said with a wink. That did go noticed by Alice.

'Are we still talking about Hogsmeade?' she asked suspiciously.

'Of course,' Frank said quickly.

Lily joined them suddenly, but it was clear she was in a bit of a temper. 'Alright, Evans?' James asked.

'Oh shut up,' she snapped. Everyone looked at her in alarm. 'Sorry,' she said in exasperation. 'I just don't know what I'm supposed to have done.'

'What do you mean?' Mary asked in confusion.

Lily sighed. 'You'd think your friends would be pleased with you—proud even—that you went off and risked your own life to save someone else's. But he's mad at me.'

'Well, you did save me,' Sirius said in jest. 'I'm not exactly at the top of his Christmas card list.'

'That's not a very good reason to be angry with someone,' Marlene said.

'I know,' Lily sighed.

'I could go whack some sense into him?' Mary offered.

James laughed. 'I think I like this girl,' he said. He was surprised when Mary turned a bright shade of pink—and he was further surprised when Lily's eyes narrowed at Mary slightly. 'Anyway,' James said. 'I'm sure he'll cool off eventually.'

'All the same, just be careful, Potter,' Lily said.

'Me be careful? Why?' James asked.

'He blames you for this. You know his temper,' she said.

James laughed. 'And I suppose that still isn't enough for you and him to go your own ways?' he asked.

'Don't make me have this conversation again, Potter,' Lily groaned.

James waved an arm. 'I know, I know—real swell guy outside of school and all that nonsense,' he said with a sigh.

'Quidditch Practice tomorrow night. You feeling well enough to play?' Alice asked, sensing it would be a good time to change the subject.

'Of course,' James said. 'I've been itching to hop back on my broomstick.'

'The broomstick that gave the Dark Lord the slip,' Alice added with a wide grin.

Frank smiled. 'Between that and the Seeker who made the Catch of the Century last year, I think we have a pretty good chance to repeat as Quidditch Cup winners!'

James awoke with a start late that evening. The sound of the high, cold voice shouting the killing curse at him jerked him awake. He groaned as he rolled over and out of bed—Sirius' snores filled the room as they usually did. Remus' four poster was drawn tightly shut, but he saw that Peter's bed was empty.

Frowning, James left the dormitory and went down to the common room. Sitting by the fire were Lily and Peter.

'Was wondering if you'd be up,' Lily said as James walked over to join them.

'You know me,' James said airily. 'What's up, Peter? Couldn't sleep?'

Lily sighed. 'He's still beating himself up for not playing a bigger part in things,' she said.

'Oh come on, Peter,' James said irritably.

Peter raised his arms in mock surrender. 'Well come on—I was basically the lookout, how cool is that?' he muttered.

'Cool?' James echoed. 'You think we did all this to be cool?'

'Potter,' Lily said warningly.

James calmed himself down. 'Look,' he said. 'We've already been over this. Everyone played a big part, you included. I don't know why you're wringing your hands over this.'

'Because I barely helped to save Sirius,' Peter mumbled.

'Maybe not—but your actions directly saved me and Lily's lives,' James pressed on. 'If you hadn't done what you did, Dumbledore wouldn't have been there to make Voldemort scarper, and then who knows what would have happened to us. Lily and I owe you, Peter.'

Peter flushed, but looked slightly mollified. 'You're not just saying that?' he asked.

'Why would we just say that?' Lily asked gently. 'We all knew we had a part to play going in. Remus doesn't even remember the night, Sirius was beaten almost too badly to help, and Potter and I had a lot of luck on our side. We needed you to alert help and you did.'

Peter nodded. 'I guess I just wish I wasn't so useless,' he said.

'You're not useless,' James said firmly.

'But I'm not as good at everything as you, Sirius and Remus—I'm not as good in class,' Peter said.

'Yeah, well I'm not as good looking as Evans here, but I don't spend all day worrying about it,' James joked. He could have sworn he saw Lily blush slightly. 'Peter, maybe we are better in some classes than you. But you're better at some things than us. We're all just different.'

Peter swallowed and James got the impression there was something else bugging him. 'What's this about, Peter?' Lily asked in that same gentle voice.

'I just don't always want to be the weak one,' he said quietly. 'An afterthought. I want to make a difference too.'

James smiled. 'You did, and you will,' he said earnestly. 'I have a hunch we're all going to be playing a big role in what's to come, and that includes you.'

Peter nodded and stood up abruptly. 'I think I'll go to bed.'

'You feeling any better?' Lily asked.

Peter smiled. 'I think so,' he said. 'Night.'

He walked off back to the dormitory and James sank back into his chair with a sigh. 'I don't get him sometimes,' he muttered.

'It might just be a little jealousy,' Lily said. 'Everyone's fawning over us about escaping Voldemort, and Marlene's all over Sirius about his part. Peter's just kind of faded into the background.'

'So is Moony,' James pointed out. 'But you don't see him whining.'

Lily laughed. 'I think 'Moony' is a bit better emotionally equipped for that sort of thing, don't you?'

'I guess you're right,' James said. 'Maybe I'll try talking him up tomorrow.'

'That would be nice of you,' Lily said. She fidgeted in her seat. 'So Mary seems to like you.'

'Who now?' James said distractedly.

'Mary McDonald,' Lily said as if she was talking to a tree trunk. 'I don't know if you've noticed the way she was looking at you all day.'

James grinned. 'Well, I am very good looking,' he said. Lily whacked him with a cushion from her seat. 'I'm more interested in seeing what happens with Frank and Alice,' he said.

'Don't change the subject,' Lily muttered.

'Sorry—what are you wanting to talk about?' James asked.

'I just told you—I think Mary fancies you,' Lily said.

'…and?' James replied, somewhat confused.

'Well—I—what do you think of her?' Lily stammered.

James looked at the fire. 'What am I supposed to think of her?' he asked slowly. 'If you're asking do I fancy her, I don't think I can say I do…she seems like a nice girl, I mean—but—I don't know, this is a bit of an odd conversation.'

Lily studied his facial expression. 'So you're not interested?' she asked.

James laughed. 'Do you really need to ask?'

'Well, yes,' she said.

'Evans, you know I've only got eyes for you,' James said with his best grin. 'It's just too bad that good ol' Sev does, too.'

Lily sighed and stared at the fire. 'Sev,' she muttered as if remembering that he existed. 'I don't know what to do about him.'

'I have several suggestions,' James joked.

'He's just so…difficult,' Lily said at last.

'Do you like him?' James asked.

'Of course I do,' Lily said. 'He's my friend.'

'Not what I meant,' James replied. 'Do you fancy him?'

Lily stared at the fire for a long moment. 'No,' she said. 'I feel badly about it…I know how he feels about me. It's hard not to notice,' she said with a slightly bashful look.

'I can't imagine Snape looking love struck,' James said as he looked at the fire as well. 'He always seems so uptight.'

'You bring that out in him. Just like he brings out the pigheaded dolt in you,' Lily said with a smirk.

James laughed. 'At least you're honest,' he said.

'Does any girl in the school interest you?' Lily asked.

'Didn't I just say I only have eyes for you?' James replied.

Lily's eyes narrowed. 'How do I know you're not putting one over me?' she asked. 'You joke about a lot of things, Potter. Is this another one?'

James let the smile drop off his face. 'Evans, there are some things I just don't joke about. But why are you asking? I thought I had no shot with you.'

Lily sighed and stared up at the ceiling. 'I don't know,' she muttered. 'I wish things weren't so damned complicated.'

'They don't need to be complicated,' James said earnestly.

'But they are,' Lily said.

'No, they're really not—things are quite easy, actually. They get complicated when we make them that way.'

Lily laughed. 'Is that how you see things?' she asked.

James shrugged. 'Sure, why not?' he said. 'Life doesn't have to be hard. Sure, there's hard things in it—like what we had to deal with the other night. But there are some things that should just flow—like flying on a broom, or playing Quidditch.'

'It's all about Quidditch with you, isn't it,' Lily muttered, but she was still smiling.

'Point is,' James pressed, 'that things don't need to be complicated. Sometimes flying by the seat of your pants isn't just easy, but…exhilarating.'

Lily looked at him—that same strange look she sometimes gave him. It almost felt like she was using Occlumency, staring right through him with those vivid green eyes. 'Maybe,' she whispered. 'Maybe some day I'll give that a try.'

'Why not today?' James asked quietly.

Lily stood up. 'Baby steps, Potter,' she said. She reached over and mussed his hair for a moment and smirked. 'There—now it looks like you just got off your broom.'

'I thought you hated it when I did that?' James said in surprise.

'Only sometimes,' Lily said with a small smile. 'Good night.' She got up and walked up the staircase to her dormitory. James sank down in his chair and stared at the door for a long time.

'How touching,' came a voice from the fireplace and James jumped to his feet, staring down at the face of Gilles Rochefort glaring out at him. 'I suppose this is Dumbledore's influence? That love conquers all?'

James laughed bitterly. 'High talk for someone who couldn't kill a bunch of teenagers,' he said maliciously.

Rochefort's grin deepened. 'A mistake I intend to remedy,' he said.

'You're welcome to try,' James countered.

'Be careful what you wish for, boy,' Rochefort snarled. 'Everyone's luck runs out eventually.'

'So that would be true for you, wouldn't it?' James said back as he leaned towards the fire. He noticed a raised scar on Rochefort's face. 'I see Sirius left you a love mark. It looks very nice,' James mocked.

'You're just making it all the more delicious for when I finally kill you, Potter,' Rochefort snapped. 'When the light vanishes from your eyes, it's going to be positively exquisite. I'll be seeing you soon.'

James leaned back in his chair. 'Not if I see you first, Rochefort,' he replied. The face vanished from the fire and James stared at it for a long moment, his heart pounding in his ears. He was pleased that his bravado never abandoned him, but he now felt absolutely terrified—they had barely escaped with their lives in their previous encounters, and Rochefort had always been intent not on killing them, but bringing them to Voldemort unharmed.

Now the game had changed; now Rochefort was out for revenge…and murder.


	16. Practice and Parties

16

On Remus' advice, James had gone directly to Dumbledore to describe what had happened in the fireplace the following day. The reaction was fairly swift; all fireplaces within Hogwarts were cut off from the Floo Network, and extra Aurors were stationed all around the school. There was now lively debate as to whether or not the Hogwarts Express was a safe enough way to transport children to and from the school, as well as a debate on whether Hogsmeade Village could be made secure enough for the students to continue going.

James' own parents were not immune from the panic either. They had returned to the school once more where Mrs. Potter had tried to convince James that he should be home-schooled—something he had flatly rejected altogether.

'You'll be safer at home though,' Mrs. Potter had urged. 'We have Aurors guarding the house, and then there's your father and I.'

'And here I've got Aurors as well as Dumbledore,' James had replied. 'Mum, I'm not running away. Period.'

Mr. Potter had remained fairly silent during the exchange. Truth be told, he did not look entirely well, and James was wondering whether or not he had truly been joking about having a heart attack upon hearing of their mission to rescue Sirius.

'Of course he's worried,' Remus said patiently several days later when James confessed his fears to him. It was late at night and they were hidden up in the Shrieking Shack doing their level best to make heads or tails of the book on Animagi. 'You came face to face with Voldemort, something no one—not even he, in all his experience—has done before,' he said evenly.

James sighed. 'I've just never seen him look like that,' he muttered. 'He's the strongest man I know.'

Remus looked up from the book. 'That hasn't changed, but you're his number one priority. He's probably feeling a little bit guilty about not being there for you in the times where you're most vulnerable.'

'What, here?' James asked.

'No—when you've been facing off against Rochefort,' Remus continued. 'We're kids; he's an adult. He probably feels that it's his fight, and you've somehow got caught right up in the middle of it.'

'I wonder,' Sirius said as he broke from his determined concentration, sweat on his brow. 'If it's possible to transform into something other than an animal?' he went on.

Remus frowned. 'I don't think so…why do you ask?'

'So you could turn into a giant book with all of your advice,' Sirius panted to a roar of laughter from James and Peter.

Remus chuckled. 'If you took the time to read something, maybe you wouldn't need my advice,' he said.

'I read plenty,' Sirius retorted.

'Muggle magazines depicting scantily clad women don't count,' Remus observed as he buried his face back in the book.

Sirius laughed. 'Don't knock it until you've tried it, Moony. Anyway—at least we know Peter wouldn't turn into a book.'

'Why's that?' Peter asked.

'Well for starter's, a book has a spine,' Sirius said with a laugh. Peter flushed slightly and Remus looked at Sirius reproachfully. 'Oh come on, it was a joke,' Sirius said. 'This is bloody hopeless—I've been standing here concentrating like an idiot for almost an hour, and the only thing I feel like doing now is going to the bathroom.'

James laughed. 'Maybe that's the—what did the book say? 'The physical manifestation of your subconscious self,' Sirius,' he said.

Sirius rolled his eyes, but looked momentarily fearful. 'How sure are we that we won't turn into something other than an animal?' he asked.

'Completely sure,' Remus said firmly. 'Maybe you should take a rest. Here, I think I've got the pronunciation for this part down right.'

'Why aren't you trying to become an Animagus?' Peter asked.

Remus blinked. 'Because I think transforming into one giant beast is good enough for me,' he said evenly.

'I wonder what we'll become,' James mused.

'If you manage to pull it off,' Remus clarified.

James waved an arm. 'Have a little faith, Moony,' he said.

'Well, apparently you're supposed to get some sort of feeling when you concentrate hard on the wording but somehow manage to wipe your mind clean of all conscious thought at the same time,' Sirius said in an irritated tone. 'Isn't that an oxymoron?'

Remus shrugged. 'In theory, it should be like casting any spell—it's just longer and more complex.'

'Look on the bright side, at least I haven't had to shave you yet,' James joked.

Sirius shuddered at the memory. 'Don't remind me,' he said irritably. 'Anyway, so long as I'm taking a break from trying to think of everything and nothing at the same time—how goes the supply gathering for our latest prank?'

James had nearly forgotten about it. When Professor Slughorn had given James the key to his Potions store, James had hastily gathered the supplies they would need. He had subsequently lost track of this in light of the events of the past two weeks. 'I guess we need to start brewing the Potion,' he said with a meaningful glance at Remus.

'Oh brother,' Remus sighed. 'Yes, I'll help you do it. Where should I brew it, though? It takes a fair bit of time to stew,' he said.

Sirius frowned. 'Well, here's out—you'd probably destroy it during your time of the month,' he said to a little giggle from Peter.

'Somewhere hidden, safe and out of the way,' James mused.

'Or,' Sirius said. 'We just hide it in plain sight. Professor Slughorn seems to trust you immensely, so why not just brew it in class? Say you're practicing something you read an in Auror textbook or something? We could even get Longbottom to help out.'

Remus frowned. 'You can't dupe Frank into helping with this,' he said.

'No duping required—he might be happy to assist,' James replied. 'I'll ask and see what he thinks…Slughorn might go for that.'

'Speaking of Slughorn,' Remus said. 'He's having that party of his next Wednesday night. Didn't you and Sirius say you were going?'

James grimaced. 'Oi…another thing I forgot,' he grumbled.

'How bad could it be?' Sirius asked.

The answer was simply awful. The next week flashed by and the night of the party arrived. James and Sirius had donned their dress robes and made their way to Professor Slughorn's office, which was rather extravagant. James certainly doubted that any of the other teachers had an office as expansive of this one, which made him suspect he had made some magical modifications to the dimensions of the room.

'Don't know what you're talking about, dear boy,' Slughorn said with a wink when asked.

James felt his stomach clench when he saw that Lily and Snape arrived together. Lily looked amazing—her long red hair, which usually fell with a lazy elegance over her shoulders, was done up into curls on top of her head. She wore a midnight blue dress that, rather than clashing with her green eyes, seemed to make them shine even brighter.

As far as long shadows went, it was like Snape was standing on the dark side of the moon. His dress robes looked ancient, withered and somewhat moth-eaten. He had attempted to slick his greasy hair back so it did not fall into its usual curtains on either side of his face. His eyes found James and they narrowed in a glare.

'How come he gets to come with her,' James muttered irritably.

'Who?' Sirius said, shoveling down a mouthful of appetizers from a rather impressively sized plate he had built. 'Oh—Snivellus,' he muttered. 'Don't worry about him.'

But James couldn't help worrying. Lily and Snape were in deep conversation about something, and James wondered if Snape was still harping on her about getting into harm's way. He tore his gaze away from them and saw a familiar face that filled him with relief—Dorcas. 'Alright, Captain?' he asked.

'Hi Potter,' she said a little too brightly. She held a cup of something that James suspected was firewhisky in one hand. 'It's a nice party, isn't it?'

James laughed. 'Sure,' he replied. 'Where's Cresswell?'

Dorcas reddened. 'Didn't get an invite—he wasn't very happy,' she muttered.

'Ah, look at this, can't stop discussing Quidditch even on down time,' Professor Slughorn said loudly as he walked over. 'I was just telling Ms. Meadowes earlier that I know a few scouts in England's Premier Quidditch League. Of course, they'd already been following her career with great interest, but a little nudge and I think there'll be quite the bidding war for her Keeping services,' he said.

Dorcas was a deep shade of crimson now. 'Thank you, Professor,' she said meekly.

'And how about you, Mr. Potter?' Slughorn asked. 'Given any thought to your career ambitions outside of school?'

'Er,' James said. 'No—not really, sir.'

'Really? I'm sure you could take your pick of career—if you set your mind on a path, I could certainly connect you with some names along the way.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' James said.

'You could probably be a Professional Quidditch Player too,' Dorcas supplied.

James chuckled. 'Yeah, maybe,' he said.

'If you don't wash out before school ends, that is,' came Snape's voice and James sighed. He turned to face him—Snape had separated himself from Lily who was over at the snack table. 'Look at you. A lucky crack in a cauldron and you think you're suddenly the best Potions?'

James rolled his eyes. 'Honestly, can't you just drop it for an evening?' he said.

'What's the matter? You lost out on something and now you are incapable of your usual arrogant gloating?' Snape said.

'What am I supposed to have lost out on, exactly?' James said. Snape's eyes flicked to Lily and James looked at him coldly. 'Is that what she is to you?' he asked quietly. 'A contest? A prize to be won?'

Snape flushed. 'That's not what I meant,' he said quickly.

'You know,' James said. 'When I arrived at school there were a lot of things about magic that I found to be mysterious. But none of that even comes close to the mystery of why Evans is friends with you.'

'Because I'm better than you, that's the answer,' Snape said. 'I don't walk around with a silver spoon in my mouth.'

James smiled coldly. 'No—you walk around with an imaginary Death Eaters' hood on, don't you?'

Snape's eyes widened. 'You have no idea what you're talking about,' he hissed.

'Keep it conversational,' James said, smiling as Slughorn walked by. 'I don't think Professor Slughorn would appreciate you shouting during his party.'

'Humorous,' Snape said dryly. 'You don't know anything about me, Potter. Don't presume to know why I do the things I do.'

'I don't know—you seem pretty transparent to me. It seems like cowardice. You're always the first to flee at the sign of a fight.'

Snape seemed to pray for patience. 'You truly have no idea. Clearly, Professor Mondego was not able to impart some of his wisdom upon you last year, nor Professor Bowen before him. Charging blindly into battle with your emotions on your sleeve is not the way to fight. You need to be devious, you need to be cunning, and above all, you cannot show them what is truly in your heart,' he said icily.

James' eyebrows raised. 'Are you trying to tell me that you have some sort of noble intention?'

Snape was about to reply when Lily appeared at his side. 'Are you two being civil?' she asked.

'We were just discussing Quidditch,' James said with an easy smile. 'I think Sev here was just promising a rematch in the Cup Final. Weren't you, Sev?' he asked, smiling as he used his nickname.

'Only she calls me that,' Snape said in a quiet voice.

'Oh come on, it's better than Snivellus,' Lily said cheerily. Snape looked at her as if he had been struck and her smile faltered. 'I wasn't—I wasn't calling you that—' she stammered but he had already stalked off.

James grimaced. 'Sorry,' he said.

'Why's he so touchy?' she said irritably.

'It's probably my fault,' James replied.

'You weren't really talking about Quidditch, were you?' she asked with a searching gaze.

James chuckled. 'Sharp as a knife,' he said. 'So are you his date for the evening?' he asked, trying to keep his tone light.

Lily frowned. 'I don't think we should talk about that,' she said slowly.

'You're right. Sorry. Excuse me,' James said and he walked past her. Sirius was over in the corner in deep conversation with a Ravenclaw third year who seemed to be hopelessly enamored with him. 'Sirius—everything alright?' James asked.

Sirius grinned. 'Just regaling this young lady with the story of my escape,' he said.

James cleared his throat. 'Is Marlene waiting up for you?' he asked.

Sirius frowned. 'Why would she be?' he asked.

James sighed. 'Sorry, can you excuse us?' he said to the Ravenclaw girl. She batted her eyes at Sirius and waved suggestively as James dragged him away by the elbow. 'What are you doing?' he hissed.

'Uh, talking?' Sirius replied.

'What about Marlene?' James pressed.

'What about her?' Sirius asked in confusion.

James looked at the ceiling. 'Honestly—can you not see that that girl you're talking to is very, very interested in you?' he said.

'Of course I'm interesting, I escaped the Death Eaters!' Sirius whispered back.

'Not interesting like that,' James said impatiently. 'Interesting in a—a—Wilhemina Warbright kind of way,' he said, staring at Sirius and willing him to get the message telepathically.

Realization spread across Sirius' face. 'Oh,' he said. 'Oohhhhhh,' he added. 'Really?'

James sighed. 'Thicker than the castle walls,' he muttered.

'Well—is it still bad if I'm not interested back?' Sirius asked.

'Perception, mate,' James said. 'Maybe we should head back to the common room,' he added with another glance at Lily and Snape, who were once again deep in conversation in the corner of the room.

Sirius followed his gaze and grimaced. 'I could hex him? A bat bogey hex would be pretty hilarious from here,' he said.

'No,' James replied. 'Not now, anyway. We'll get him later.'

'I'm sorry, James,' Sirius said sincerely.

James shrugged. 'It's not like I've got any sort of claim to her,' he muttered.

'Should we tell Slughorn that we're leaving?' Sirius asked.

James shook his head. 'He'll try to con us into staying. Let's just go.'

They slipped out, narrowly avoiding a thoroughly tipsy looking Dorcas as they did so. They walked through the castle mostly in silence, with Sirius casting furtive glances at James every now and again. 'What?' James asked in irritation after a while.

'Do you want to talk?' Sirius asked slowly.

'About what?' James asked.

'About…well, you know,' Sirius said, looking slightly red. 'I'm not exactly great with girls, as you may have noticed but if you want to talk—well, I'm here to listen.'

James sighed and forced a smile. 'Thanks,' he said. 'Really. But I think I'm okay.'

'It would bother me too,' Sirius said.

'I know,' James sighed in exasperation. 'I just don't think there's anything anyone can do to make her see what he's really like. I think it's something she's going to have to realize for herself someday,' he muttered.

Sirius shrugged. 'Well, we can do the next best thing,' he said with a cheery smile. 'We can pull pranks on him!'

James chuckled. 'Yeah—we'll get him,' he said. 'Come on. Let's go see if Marlene is waiting up for you.'


	17. Seasons and Bets

17

James did his best to put his disappointment and anxiety behind him over the following weeks. School was proving to be a dizzyingly difficult task to keep up with, even with him and Sirius barely ever having to concentrate on their homework. Throwing in the extra non-verbal lessons with Madam Bones was difficult enough, and sneaking off to practice their work on becoming Animagi was stretching them to a breaking point.

A minor break through which saw James grow a fine layer of fur over his hands and feat was about the only success they had with that over the coming weeks. At one point, they thought Peter had gotten shorter by a couple of inches—but it turned out he had just taken off his shoes.

James' favorite escape was Quidditch, and after what felt like ages of practicing, they were finally ready for their first match of the year—what promised to be a grudge match against Slytherin.

'First time since the Final,' Dorcas said airily the night before the match.

'So who's new to their team this year?' James asked.

'Well, Malfoy's gone, obviously,' Frank said idly from where he was polishing his broom next to the fire. 'Mulciber, Avery and Rosier are back as Chasers. Flint will be in goal—bad news, he's actually somewhat good—Snape is back as a Beater and he's being joined by one of those big oafs, named Crabbe.'

'Who's their Seeker?' Alice asked.

'Regulus Black,' Frank replied.

Sirius, who had been sitting across the room, stood up abruptly. 'What?' he snapped.

'Your brother is the seeker for Slytherin,' Frank said again calmly.

Sirius snorted derisively. 'Stupid little brat,' he muttered. 'He could barely out run the house elf on his broom. Wonder if Daddy bought his way onto the team like Lucius' did.'

'Don't worry, Sirius, we'll get him,' James replied.

'Remember—these guys play a hard physical game, so make sure you have your head on a swivel,' Dorcas said somewhat nervously.

Alice rolled her eyes. 'Come on, Captain, I think we proved last year that we can handle this bunch.'

'Last year Potter ended up in the Hospital wing with a fractured skull! And you very nearly turned into a rather large pizza, Alice. If it weren't for Frank…'

'I'll always be there to catch her,' Frank said calmly without looking up. Unfortunately in doing so, he missed Alice looking at him very fondly. James snickered to himself.

'Where are the Twins, anyway?' Dorcas asked absently. Right on cue, the portrait hole opened and the aforementioned Gideon and Fabian emerged carrying rather large boxes with them. 'Oh no, you can't be serious—not tonight!' Dorcas complained.

'Start of the Quidditch season party!' Gideon declared. 'Get it while it's hot, firewhisky to give you breath like the finest dragons!'

'And butterbeer to boot,' Fabian said happily as the Gryffindors in the room cheered. Dorcas looked livid but Fabian handed her a butterbeer with an innocent smile. 'Come on, Head Girl,' he said innocently. 'It's your last year.'

Dorcas sighed and took the proffered drink. 'All the more reason I want to win,' she mumbled but she opened her drink and took a sip. James took the one offered to him and sat down across from her at the fire. 'You know Potter,' she said in a somewhat whimsical tone. 'It's going to be weird leaving this place.'

'Not that weird,' James said. 'You're going to be a big Quidditch star.'

Dorcas smiled faintly. 'I wonder about that,' she said. 'Is that really the best use of my time?'

James took a sip of his drink and let it warm his stomach before he answered. 'That's something only you can answer, really,' he said. 'What are you thinking?'

She shrugged. 'I've been told I'd make a decent Auror,' she said.

'You would,' James said earnestly.

'So wouldn't I be better off doing something helpful like that?' she asked.

James shrugged and looked around the room. Everyone was in a festive mood now. 'You know Captain,' he said. 'The world takes all kinds. We need people who can protect us so we can sleep safely at night. But we also need people who can entertain us and take our mind off of things,' he added with a nod at the Twins. Gideon was now riding on Fabian's shoulder's as the latter galloped around the room like a horse. 'I think you'd make a fine Quidditch player, and you'd make a lot of people happy. It really comes down to what you want.'

Dorcas laughed. 'I've been to all the teachers for career counseling and not one of them was as insightful as you,' she said.

James grinned. 'Keep that under your hat. I can't have people thinking I'm too respectable now,' he chuckled.

'Let me repay the favor. I heard a rumor that you like Lily Evans.'

'Rumor?' James snorted. 'Are you sure I didn't tell you myself at some point?'

Dorcas laughed. They both looked around the room and spotted Lily sitting by the foot of the stairs to the girls' dormitory. She was in an animated discussion with Alice, who was twirling her broomstick idly in one hand. 'You know, a lot of guys think courting a girl is like running a race.'

'Isn't it?' James asked.

'Oh, it can be,' Dorcas said as she spotted Cresswell. 'But it doesn't always have to be a hundred meter dash. Sometimes winning the marathon is more rewarding, if you catch my drift,' she added with a wink. She got up and walked over to Cresswell. The two began to do a very poor tango that had everyone laughing. James grinned and shook his head, when suddenly the seat across from him was again occupied.

'Hi James!' said Mary McDonald brightly. 'Would you like some firewhisky?'

James raised his eyebrows. 'How'd you get a hold of that?'

'Nicked it when the Twins weren't looking,' Mary said mischievously as James laughed. 'So? Care to try?'

James smiled kindly. 'Thanks but no thanks. I've got a game tomorrow.'

'So do they,' she pressed.

'But I'm a creature of habit, and I've never included firewhisky in my pre-game ritual before,' James said easily. 'How are you finding school this year?'

Mary looked somewhat disappointed at his refusal, but pleased all the same that he was talking to her. 'It's good. I really like Madam Bones—she's so smart.'

'She is that,' James said.

'Oh my—look at that,' Mary whispered. James craned his neck around to see what she was talking about and had to resist the urge to let his jaw drop—Marlene and Sirius were sitting on a couch in the corner of the room by the window and kissing quite passionately.

James laughed. 'Well,' he said, turning back to face Mary. 'That took longer than I—'

He was cut off in mid sentence as Mary launched herself at him and kissed him full on the mouth. James' eyes went wide as she grabbed either side of his face; it was his first time being kissed and he was not altogether sure whether this was a very good one. He could taste what he assumed was firewhisky on her lips. The shock subsided and he placed his hands on her shoulder sand gently pushed her back.

'Sorry,' she said with a grin.

'Er,' James said. 'Mary—look—' he began. He could see the look in her eyes and he bit his lip, trying to figure out what the best words would be to let her down easy. 'I don't think—'

'Shh,' Mary said putting a finger to his lips. 'You don't need to say anything.'

'Im domt?' he asked, his mouth muffled by her finger.

'No! This was more fun,' and she leaned in to kiss him again.

'Right! No! Sorry!' James cried and he slithered out from under her and to his feet. She looked up at him as he straightened his robes. 'Look, Mary—you're really nice—I just—I don't think—' he stammered.

'There's no need to play hard to get,' she said.

'Hard to what?' James yelped.

'Everything okay?' Lily's voice sounded in his ear. James turned his head to see her standing there with another entirely odd expression on her face—one he was having tremendous trouble reading.

'Evans. Yes. Okay? What's okay? You mean me? Yes. I'm fine. We're all fine. Everyone's fine. How are you?' James stammered quickly.

'Oh, I see,' Mary said in a slightly hurt tone. Lily and James looked at her as she got up and stalked off across the room.

'Evans,' James implored but she held up a hand.

'It's alright,' she said evenly. 'I saw the whole thing. It was really quite funny,' she said, and James was relieved to see a smirk on her face. He ran a hand through his hair as he felt the blood flush to his cheeks.

'Maybe for you,' he muttered.

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'That's never happened to you before?' she asked.

'Well, no,' James said, feeling his cheeks grow even hotter.

Lily laughed heartily. James sighed inwardly at how pleasant the sound was. 'So how was your first kiss, Potter?'

James' wit came to his aid. 'Not as romantic as I'd planned,' he said with a grin. 'I pictured both parties being sober. And, you know, willing.'

Lily shook her head, grinning. 'Don't be too hard on her. She shouldn't have stolen those drinks,' she said.

'No, she shouldn't have,' James said, catching sight of Sirius and Marlene again. 'Although I guess the party achieved one pleasant result.' He cast his gaze around and saw Frank and Alice were sitting together in the corner, talking in hushed voices and smiling. 'And we might get another one before the night is out.'

'Oh, I'll take that bet,' Lily said. 'Frank and Alice make glaciers look fast.'

James laughed. 'So it's a bet you want, is it?'

'Name the terms,' Lily replied.

'Alright,' James said. 'I'll bet by the end of the year.'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'That's far too vague. You need to be more specific than that,' she said.

James thought for a moment and then a grin split his face. 'Alright,' he said. 'I'm going to say that we're going to win the Quidditch Cup again this year.'

Lily rolled her eyes again. 'Of course this had to come back to Quidditch,' she muttered.

'And when we do,' James pressed on. 'They're finally going to kiss.'

Lily chuckled. 'Alright. And what are the terms of the bet?'

'Name yours,' James said.

Lily scrutinized him. 'If you're wrong, you have to promise not to pull any pranks on Sev for a whole year.'

James laughed but nodded. 'Alright, fair enough. And what if you're wrong?' he asked.

'Now it's your turn to name your terms,' Lily replied.

James looked at her evenly. 'Go out on a date with me,' he said quietly.

Lily looked at him in surprise. Her mouth opened and then shut again as color rushed to her cheeks. 'Potter…' she groaned.

'Oh come on,' James said. 'It doesn't have to be complicated! It doesn't have to be a boyfriend-girlfriend date. You said yourself that you don't like Sev in that way and you still went with him to Slughorn's party! So treat this as the same thing.'

Lily looked at him skeptically. 'This sounds like a bad idea,' she said.

James spread his arms. 'And me leaving Snape alone for a whole year doesn't?'

'That's a fine idea,' Lily defended.

James shrugged. 'And I'll accept that bet—if you accept that if I win, you go on a date with me.'

Lily sighed and looked across the room. 'Just as friends?' she said.

'That would imply that we're friends to begin with, something you've never openly acknowledged,' James said with a grin.

'As non-friends, then,' Lily said with a smirk.

James shook his head. 'One of these days you're going to wise up to the fact that I'm a pretty damn good guy to have around,' he said as he extended his hand.

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'And one of these days you might realize your overconfidence is a weakness,' she said as she grasped his hand in hers and they shook.

'The game's afoot then!' James said proudly.

'What's afoot?' Sirius asked suddenly as he appeared at their side. James had to bite back a laugh—Sirius' face was covered in lipstick. 'What?' Sirius asked dumbly as Lily giggled.

'Nothing, everything's fine,' James said. 'Er—how's Marlene?'

Sirius grinned. 'Great,' he said.

'All it took was a little firewhisky?' Lily said with a slightly disapproving tone.

'Neither of us has had anything,' Sirius said blankly. 'We just—it just—well—it sort of happened,' he said with a bashful grin.

James chuckled at the surprised look on Lily's face. 'Sometimes these things just have a way of working themselves out, don't they Sirius?' he asked.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Mary's disappeared…I'd better go make sure she's not in a bathroom somewhere,' she muttered as she strolled off. 'And James can tell you all about his first kiss,' she called over her shoulder as she did so.

Sirius looked at James with an open mouth. 'No…' he said.

'You're right, there,' James said with a shake of his head. 'Mary McDonald kissed me.'

Sirius guffawed. 'I can't wait to tell Moony and Peter that—speaking of which, where are they…' he muttered as he looked around the room.

'Oh my,' James said, pointing. Remus was standing in the corner looking thoroughly surprised to have three pretty second year Gryffindors talking to him. Peter was dancing awkwardly with what looked to be a very tall fourth year girl.

'Turn our backs for one moment and suddenly they're ladies' men,' Sirius said.

'Hey you two,' came Gideon's voice from Sirius' left.

'We heard there's a new game afoot,' Fabian from James' right. 'With respect to our favorite little Slytherin victims.'

'We wanted to offer our services. You know. Go out in style,' Gideon added.

Sirius laughed. 'How did you hear about this?'

'Well, we wanted to ask you but seeing as you had your mouth full—nice job, by the way,' Fabian said with a wink at Sirius who flushed, '—but Frank was the one who turned us onto it. He suspected, rightly so, that we had a hand in last year's…what was the word he used for it?'

'Escapade,' Gideon supplied. 'So anyway—we want in!'

James chuckled. 'Alright, you're in. But this stays between us, got it?'

'Our lips are sealed,' Fabian promised.

'You mean mine are,' James said with a smirk.

Gideon cocked an eyebrow. 'What does that mean?'

'All part of the plan,' James said with a laugh as they went to join the others in the party.


	18. Insights and Injuries

18

James was awake early the next morning. He had suddenly awakened around 7:30, with nothing to prompt him, but he was wide awake and staring at the ceiling. He quietly put his Quidditch gear on and made his way down to the common room, expecting it to be deserted. While it was still in a bit of a state from the party the previous night, James was not alone. 'Alright, Frank?' he asked as he sat down by the fire.

Frank was again polishing his broom. He looked up and smiled. 'Couldn't sleep,' he said. 'I was too excited for the game.'

'Is that all you were excited about?' James asked.

Frank chuckled. 'I think I should be the one asking you about that. How was kissing Mary McDonald?' he asked.

James ruffled his hair. 'I didn't exactly ask for it,' he said.

'I know,' Frank said cheerily. 'Alice told me all about it—I was sorry to miss it. She said your face was something else.'

'Yeah, well you try having someone launch themselves at you,' James said as he took some of Frank's polishing equipment and began to furbish his own broom.

Frank shrugged. 'I don't think I'd mind if it was the right person,' he said.

'Are we talking about Alice now?' James asked.

Frank went slightly pink.

'Why don't you just tell her you fancy her?' James pressed, idly remembering his bet with Lily as he did so.

'Call me romantic, but I want the moment to be right. What if…what if we end up together forever? What if we have kids? What if they ask us the story of how we first met, fell in love, kissed? I'd just like for that to be a good story.'

James pursed his lips. 'That's certainly planning ahead,' he said dryly.

Frank shrugged. 'Maybe I'm going about it the wrong way,' he muttered.

'Dorcas gave me some good advice last night. She said courting a girl is more like running a marathon than a hundred meter dash.'

'You think she's right?' Frank asked.

James shrugged. 'She probably knows more about what makes girls tick than we do,' he said with a grin. 'So—we going to crush Slytherin today?'

'You know it,' Frank said confidently.

The door at the top of the girls' dormitory opened and Alice bounced down the stairs. 'Morning, Frank! Oh, good morning, Potter,' she said with a mischievous smile.

'I already ribbed him about it,' Frank chuckled.

'Well, you should know that Mary is really embarrassed,' Alice said kindly. 'She was mortified once she'd gotten everything out of her system.'

James waved an arm. 'It's okay. I am extremely good looking,' he replied.

'And modest,' Alice chuckled. 'Lily took that surprisingly well,' she said casually.

'How else would she take it?' James frowned.

Alice shrugged her shoulders. 'I just suspect that maybe she would have liked to have been in Mary's shoes at that particular moment.'

'She said she was fine!' James said.

'Sure, to you,' Alice replied. 'But when it first happened—well, let's just say it was a photo finish to whose facial expression was funnier, yours or Lily's.'

'Did she say something to you?' James asked.

'No, and she never would,' Alice replied. 'I'm just observant.'

The door to the girls' dormitory opened again and Dorcas made her way down the stairs, grumbling as she did so. 'I'm going to kill the Twins,' she muttered. 'Party on a game night…what were they thinking.'

'Headache, Captain?' Alice asked.

'Like you wouldn't believe,' Dorcas muttered.

The door to the boys' dormitory opened now and the Prewetts came thundering down the stairs. 'Good morning everyone!' Gideon bellowed, his wand held to his throat to magically amplify the volume of his voice. Dorcas clutched her ears and yelped. 'Everyone have a good sleep? Feeling thoroughly hydrated and ready to perform? Gideon went on.

'Prewett, I swear, I will make you eat your wand,' Dorcas snapped.

'Oh relax, Madam Head Girl,' Fabian said with a smile. 'Drink this.'

He handed a slightly steaming and bubbling cup to Dorcas who wrinkled her nose. 'What in the world is it?'

'Family recipe,' Gideon said.

'Instant hangover cure,' Fabian said.

'Although when it comes out your other end—' Gideon began, but Fabian elbowed him in the ribs. 'Right. Instance hangover cure,' Gideon finished with a smile.

Dorcas shrugged and tipped the drink back, hiccoughing slightly as she finished. 'That's rancid,' she gasped.

'But your head feels better now, yes?' Gideon asked.

Dorcas looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Surprisingly…it does,' she murmured. 'That's really quite extraordinary.'

'Our sister taught it to us,' Fabian said with a grin. 'Mum and Dad always thought she was the perfect little prefect. Little did they know,' he said.

'She is our sister, after all,' Gideon said proudly. 'Everyone have a good time last night? We all know Potter did.'

'Oh sod off,' James said with a grin.

'I think his pal Sirius had the real night to remember,' Fabian said airily. 'Ah young love, a time of wonder, amazement…'

'…and hormones,' Gideon added with a chuckle.

'Anyway,' Dorcas said, getting to her feet and looking far more energetic than she had a few moments previous. 'Let's get down to the Quidditch Pitch!'

'We've got an hour yet before the game starts,' Alice pointed out.

'All the more time to go over strategy,' Dorcas said. 'Alice? Potter? Want to go get us a light morning breakfast?'

'That's us, a couple of house elves,' James chuckled as he got to his feet. 'Coming Dearborn?'

'We'll see you down there,' Alice called to the others as she and James stepped out into the hallway and began walking towards the kitchen. 'So what did you and Lily talk about last night?' Alice inquired.

'Hm? Oh, just about Mary, and Sirius,' he replied.

'Is that all?' Alice pushed.

James laughed. 'What are you fishing for, Dearborn?' he asked.

Alice pursed her lips. 'Frank,' she said at last. 'I'm beginning to wonder if he's really interested in—well—being more than friends.'

James looked at her evenly. 'Have you considered telling him that?'

'What if he really isn't interested and I ruin it?' Alice asked worriedly.

James rolled his eyes. 'Honestly, you two,' he muttered. 'I don't think either of you has anything to worry about.'

'Has he said something to you?' Alice asked.

'Even if he had, it wouldn't be my place to tell. But if you want my objective outsider's opinion, I think you two are made for each other and I think you two both know it.'

Alice looked pleased. 'You think so?' she said.

'I know so,' James replied.

'You're so easy to talk to,' Alice said with a sigh as they made their way through the great hall. 'I know some people think you're a bit of a showoff—'

'Some people? Or just Evans?' James joked.

'Maybe just Lily,' Alice said with a smirk. 'But you always seem to be there for people when they need you.'

James grinned. 'Well, if word gets out that old James was dishing out the feel goods…I'll make you pay, Dearborn. I have a reputation to uphold.'

Alice laughed. 'Fair enough,' she said as they approached the painting of the bowl of fruit.

*

After eating a light breakfast and going over what felt like countless X and O sessions together, they finally made their way out onto the Quidditch Pitch. It looked as though the entire school had turned up to see the rematch of the previous years' two finalists for the House Cup.

James surveyed the opposing side. Snape was already scowling at him with a look of intense loathing, but James was taken aback by just how big his new Beater counterpart was—Crabbe had grown somewhere around a foot taller over the summer, and James hazarded a guess that he had also grown several feet wider. It was like a refrigerator was walking onto the Quidditch pitch.

Mulciber, Avery and Rosier rounded out the Chaser group and James saw short and stocky little Regulus Black hanging back behind them. He was doing his best to give an intimidating glare to Alice, who simply raised an eyebrow back at him.

'Alright everyone—let's see a good clean game. No hitting bludgers after the match has been called, understood?' Madam Hooch asked.

'Loud and clear,' Dorcas said evenly.

Snape stepped forward, and it was for the first time that James realized he was wearing the Captain's badge for his side. 'After the match has been called. Understood,' he said with his eyes narrowing at Dorcas. They shook hands quickly and Madam Hooch motioned for them to back away.

'Mount your brooms—game on!' she called.

The Quaffle flew quickly up into the air and the snitch darted off, quick as lightning, into the morning sky. It was a slightly cloudy day, but the sun still shone in the cold morning air. James lifted up into the sky but backed off of the Quaffle, as Frank had roared after it as if he had been shot out of a cannon. James immediately lurched forward and headed towards the Slytherin end, keeping an eye on Frank as he caught the Quaffle and lazily dove back down towards the pitch. Snape flew up defensively and smacked a bludger at him, causing Frank to roll right and whip the quaffle over to James.

James spun on the spot and one-timed the quaffle using the end of his broom towards the third-most hoop, but Flint dove across to make the safe. He threw the quaffle forward and it was caught by Snape who quickly relayed it back to Rosier.

The game went on as something of a chess match for some time. The roar of the crowd seemed to fade a bit, but it was truly a spectacular show from the keepers. Dorcas and Flint were both performing incredible acrobatics to keep the score at 0-0.

It wasn't until about an hour into the game that the tide changed. James was zooming down the left hand side of the pitch and he could see Cresswell streaking along the middle, with Frank bringing up the rear as the trailer. James ducked a bludger sent by Snape and whipped the Quaffle to Cresswell. He was going in one-on-one against the massive Crabbe, so James figured he should easily be able to deke him.

He was both right and wrong. Cresswell bolted to the side, but Crabbe stuck out a massive arm that caught Cresswell in the neck, sending him back flipping off his broom and falling quickly to the ground below. The sound of the impact had made James' stomach tighten upon itself—it was like all the air in Cresswell's body had left it at once.

James zoomed down to catch Cresswell, arriving at the same time as Frank so they could gently lower him. James looked back up in time to see Rosier hurl the quaffle to Mulciber, who deposited it into the right most hope to give Slytherin a 10-0 lead.

'He's out cold,' Frank observed as Madam Hooch made her way over. Frank shook off a glove and held his hand over Cresswell's face. 'He's breathing, but a little unsteadily. At least his windpipe is intact.'

'Back in the air, you two, I've got him,' Madam Hooch said.

James and Frank kicked back into the air. 'One down, Potter,' James heard Snape snarl from behind him. He spared a look back to see the greasy haired Slytherin grinning maliciously at him.

The game did not go well from that point on—Slytherin was able to outman the Gryffindor team, and rattled off fourteen more tallies in quick succession, using their superior numbers to outstretch Gideon, Fabian and Dorcas. Dorcas angrily hurled the quaffle forward after the fourteenth score, and James raced to catch it. He extended his arm to catch it and he turned back, passing the quaffle to Frank who took it in mid flight.

Where Crabbe came from, James had no idea—but Crabbe soared up into Frank from underneath, his massive fist connecting with Frank's face and launching him clean off his broom. James had been soaring wide to the other side, hoping to catch a lateral pass and keep Flint away from the closest hoop, but now as Frank fell, James was clutched with the sudden realization that he was too far away to catch him.

Alice was not so encumbered; she dropped back down out of the sky like a bolt of lightning and hurtled underneath Frank's falling form to catch him gently. James arrived moments after they touched down on the ground. Frank was bleeding profusely and James' stomach knotted on itself again at the site of his face—his nose was completely flat.

'Dad doopid dit,' Frank was spluttering angrily. 'By dode id broden!'

'Just don't talk, Frank, here,' Alice said hastily, pulling a cloth from her pocket which Frank clapped over his nose.

James looked up in time to see Avery throw another quaffle through the hoop, giving Slytherin a 160-0 lead. 'Alright Alice, we need to make this quick. We're down two players—catch the Snitch.'

'But we'd need ten points just to tie!'

'I'll worry about that—you just get the snitch, now!' James said and he kicked up into the sky. He cast a wary eye about for Crabbe; he had clearly underestimated him with respect to how sneakily he could move around the pitch. Even now, Crabbe was lowly circling the hoops at Slytherin's end, waiting to pop up once again.

Dorcas whipped the Quaffle to Gideon who relayed it to James. Mulciber, Avery and Rosier all raced towards him. James turned into a vertical dive and leaned down to the broom, accelerating down towards the ground and evening out as he raced along the deck, his feet grazing the grass as he did so.

'Come on, Potter! Can't run forever!' he heard Avery shout.

He was close behind; but James could also see Crabbe was looping and now roaring towards him from his left. James jammed a foot down to the ground and kicked himself up into the sky as Crabbe soared underneath. James heard a solid connection and spared a quick glance down in time to see Crabbe collide with an almighty crash into Mulciber and Rosier.

The crowd roared and James soared up, racing towards Snape who quickly smacked a bludger at him. James tilted forward on his broom, kicking himself into a forward flip. He was able to rebound the bludger right back at Snape, who took it in the chest and was knocked nearly off his broom. James raced by him and in alone on Flint. James feinted left and then whipped the quaffle with all his might at the far right hoop. Flint had anticipated, but was just a bit too slow as the quaffle grazed the edges of his fingers before sailing through the hoop.

The crowd, which was mainly supporting Gryffindor, erupted into cheers as the score was now 20-10. Flint angrily threw the quaffle to Snape who quickly relayed it to Avery. Crabbe, Mulciber and Rosier were only just getting back to their brooms. James leaned down to his own broom and rocketed after Avery, who was far slower. Avery lazily deked around a bludger whacked by Gideon and reared his arm back to throw—he was not aware that James was directly behind him.

'I'll take that,' James said and he plucked the quaffle from Avery's unprotected hand and turned.

'POTTER!' he heard Dorcas yell. James looked up; Alice and Regulus were neck and neck, racing after the snitch.

James leaned forward and shut out the world around him. He focused on his task and everything seemed to move in slow motion. He could see Crabbe racing up at him, so he rolled right, also dodging a bludger sent forward by Snape in the same motion. Mulciber and Rosier tried to sandwich him, but he dove down between them, causing them to collide with each other once more. He sped towards the leftmost hoop, drawing Flint out, and then bolted for the right most. He raised his arm to hurl the Quaffle when Snape appeared in front of the hoop to block the shot.

James' eyes narrowed as Snape grinned. 'You can't get it through me, Potter!' he snapped.

James leaned against his broom and catapulted himself forward. Snape's eyes widened as James slammed bodily into him, taking himself, Snape and the quaffle through the hoop to give Gryffindor twenty points. James separated himself from Snape and looked back just in time to see Alice bump Regulus aside and close her hand over the snitch. He looked at the scoreboard which changed—170 for Gryffindor, 160 for Slytherin. The game was over.

James cast a look back at the winded Snape. 'Stick to beating, you're a terrible keeper,' James said with a grin. Snape's eyes flashed but James was already flying down to the pitch to join Alice, who was standing triumphantly with the golden snitch caught in her hand.

'Well done, Dearborn!' James cried as he landed, giving her a hug.

'I thought we were finished,' Dorcas said as she arrived, the Prewetts touching down a moment later. 'Well done you two! Well done! We should get to the hospital wing—'

Dorcas and Alice hurried off the pitch. James looked back to see Sirius, Remus and Peter racing over to join him. 'That was close,' Remus said nervously. 'Really close.'

'It only would have been a tie,' James said with a shrug.

'Well, we won! Maybe we can have another party tonight?' Sirius said eagerly.

James glanced back across the pitch and sighed as he saw Lily talking with Snape, who was still somewhat doubled over. Lily looked at James and gave him a slight frown and a shake of her head.

'James?' Sirius asked. 'Everything alright?'

'Sure,' James sighed. 'We won, after all.'


	19. Offers and Debates

19

The next few weeks passed in a blur. To James' relief, Lily didn't seem to hold a grudge about the way that the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin had ended, although Snape cast angry glares at James wherever he went. Sirius happily pointed out that this was nothing new, which made James feel better.

'I know it's all part of the game,' Lily had sighed one day as they were leaving Defence Against the Dark Arts. 'I think on some level Sev knows that, too. It's just with everything that's passed between the two of you, it's hard for him to separate what happens on the pitch and what is personal.'

James shrugged. 'I guess I can see that,' he said. 'Would you believe me if I said it really was about the game at that point?'

Lily laughed. 'Let me as you a question, Potter—if it was me in front of that hoop and not Sev, would you still have barreled into me?'

'Oh, Evans—of course not.'

'Well, you see—' Lily began.

'I would have hit you even harder,' James added with a grin. Lily smacked him on the shoulder as he laughed. He felt a tap on the shoulder and turned, his laugh faltering as he found himself looking at Madam Bones who had a puzzling expression on her face.

'I need a word,' she said quietly.

Lily quickly packed her bags and sped off. James saw Sirius, Remus and Peter hesitating at the door. 'It's alright, I'll catch up,' he said and they strolled out the door.

'They're good friends,' Madam Bones said as she sat down on the edge of a desk. 'You lot really will do anything for each other, won't you?'

James nodded, but had the sense that she was picking her words very carefully. 'Is something the matter?' he asked.

'Potter, I—like everyone else in the school—have been made aware of Gilles Rochefort's threat to you,' she said slowly. 'Believe me when I say that this is something that we absolutely cannot afford to take lightly. Gilles Rochefort—while a maniac—is an extraordinarily talented wizard who has managed to murder many accomplished counterparts.'

James sighed. 'I hear that a lot,' he muttered.

'It's for those reasons that I think some…advanced lessons are in order,' Madam Bones said in that same, slow tone. 'I must first request your word that this conversation will not leave this room.'

James raised his eyebrows at her. 'Why?'

'Your word, Potter,' Madam Bones said evenly.

James chewed on this for a moment. 'Are Sirius, Remus and Peter allowed to know?' he asked after a moment.

Madam Bones scrutinized him. 'Yes, I suppose they are. As you four have demonstrated the lengths you will go to for one another, I think that to leave them out of the loop on this would be a disservice. I trust your judgment, Potter.'

If James' eyebrows could have gone any higher on his face, they would have faded into his hairline. Madam Bones did not give out compliments lightly. 'You have my word it won't go further than the four of us,' he said at last.

Bones stood and walked over to the windows of the classroom, waving her wand to shut them magically. 'We have devoted much time in class—as have Professor Bowen and Mondego before me—to the discussion of certain curses. Curses that we find used against us in battle, but are encumbered by our own laws so as not to use in return.'

'Madam Bones…' James began.

'Let me finish,' Bones said, raising a hand. 'My intention is never to teach anyone to be a cold blooded killer, Potter. But as a teacher, I feel I would be failing altogether if I did not equip my students with the skills that would be vital to their survival.'

James' heart was beginning to pound. Was she suggesting what he thought she was?

'Potter, I think it is prudent that you verse yourself with the Unforgiveable Curses.'

James' heart seemed to freeze in his chest. 'Isn't that illegal?' he whispered.

'Yes,' Bones replied. 'Good for a life sentence in Azkaban Prison.'

'Then…what good would that really do me?' James stammered.

Bones regarded him carefully. 'In a life or death battle, what seems more preferable—killing your opponent and ending up in prison, but knowing that the other party will not be able to go on killing again? Or simple being killed?'

'That's a big way of looking at it,' James muttered.

'It is the only way of looking at it,' Bones said firmly. 'If you were faced by Rochefort, would you rather die? Or would you rather go to prison knowing you had rid the world of him, once and for all?'

James ruffled his hair. 'I see what you're saying…but is it my call to make?'

Madam Bones raised her arms. 'I cannot make this decision for you,' she said. 'I merely felt I would have done you a great disservice if I did not offer to teach you. Don't answer me right now. Give it some thought.'

James knew the conversation was over. He nodded dumbly and left the classroom. He was unsurprised to find Sirius, Remus and Peter waiting in the hall. 'What did she want?' Sirius asked excitedly.

'Are you alright?' Remus asked with a frown.

'Yeah,' James mumbled. 'We need to have a chat. Privately.'

Remus raised his eyebrows. 'Well, we were going to go to the shack tonight to practice…well, you know. How about there?'

James nodded idly. 'Sounds good.'

'Are you alright?' Peter asked worriedly.

'We'll see,' James replied.

Contrary to the last few weeks, the rest of the day passed in agonizingly slow pace. It was with great relief when dinner finished and the four of them were able to sneak out to the Shrieking Shack.

'So what's the deal?' Peter asked in a combination of excitement and worry.

'Yeah, spill. You've been looking ill all day,' Sirius said.

James nodded. 'I trust you guys completely, but I have to say this—this can't leave this room,' he said quietly. Remus, Peter and Sirius nodded altogether at once. James exhaled slowly and tried to think of the best way to put it. 'Madam Bones has offered to teach me the Unforgiveable Curses.'

He hadn't meant to say it so badly, but it occurred to him that there was really no way to sugar coat it. Peter yelped, Remus' jaw dropped slightly and Sirius continued staring at him as if waiting for a punch line. 'Come again?' Sirius finally said.

'She's offered to teach me the Unforgiveable Curses,' James repeated.

'Wow,' Sirius breathed as Remus continued to look at James in slack jawed wonder. 'What brought that on?'

James ran a hand through his hair nervously. 'Rochefort,' he said. 'She thinks I should be able to fight fire with fire.'

'That's extremely illegal,' Remus finally said. 'Does Dumbledore approve?'

'I don't think he knows,' James said quietly.

Remus looked panicked now. 'James,' he said. 'This is—this is too much. You'd be taking an awful risk—she's taking an awful risk!'

'I know,' James said.

'What are you going to do?' Peter whispered.

'That's why I'm talking to you three—I don't know what to do,' James said. 'She makes a good point…is it better to be dead and noble? Or alive in Azkaban knowing I rid the world of a murderer?'

Remus pursed his lips. 'I think that's a little overly simplistic,' he said.

'Is it, though?' Sirius asked suddenly. 'Think about it. Rochefort wouldn't hesitate to kill James—or any of us for that matter,' he added. 'Rochefort also has probably forgotten more about magic than we've ever learned. It could be useful for James to have an ace up his sleeve for if…or when they eventually meet.'

James nodded. 'There's something in that,' he said.

'But James,' Remus whispered. 'A lifetime in Azkaban…'

'Would they really send him there?' Peter asked. 'If it was in self defense?'

Remus waved a hand. 'There's no room in the law for life threatening circumstances. The Unforgiveable Curses are the only three that don't have some sort of exemption clause—they're called Unforgiveable for a reason,' he said.

'So you'd prefer James just snuff it in a fight?' Sirius asked.

'Of course not,' Remus replied. 'But the life he would have after that…I've never seen a Dementor up close, but what I've read…' he trailed off.

James sighed. 'It's not about the life I'd have, but about the lives of others that might be spared if Rochefort is stopped.'

'There would still be Voldemort,' Remus pointed out.

'Yes, and someone will eventually get him too. And then another Dark Wizard will come along. History isn't exactly devoid of bad people,' James said.

Remus sighed and stared up at the ceiling. 'I can't believe she's doing this without Dumbledore's consent,' he said.

'So what if she is?' Sirius countered. 'Dumbledore is plenty powerful enough to incapacitate people in so many ways that he doesn't need to be able to kill. James is thirteen! What we don't know about a fight to the death could probably fill several books.'

James nodded. 'And Rochefort might not expect it,' he said slowly. 'Think about it. All of the Death Eaters probably have a good laugh about the fact that they can just as easily cast a killing curse while they can't have it used against them. It's not exactly fair, is it?'

'Well, no,' Remus said.

'So let's level the playing field,' Sirius said. 'It could be James' only chance at surviving. Would you rather he was dead or in Azkaban?' he asked.

James looked between Remus and Sirius. Sirius was obviously siding with Madam Bones, and Remus was clearly having an issue with it. James cast his gaze to Peter who was looking back and forth as well. 'Peter?' James asked.

'What?' Peter replied.

'What's your view?' James asked again.

Peter looked as if he wished he could fade into the woodwork. 'I don't know…they both make good points,' he said feebly.

'There's Peter, always the opinionated one,' Sirius said irritably.

'That's enough, Sirius,' James said quietly. 'Peter, I'm asking for your opinion. I value it. What do you think?'

Peter sighed and looked at the floor. 'I think—I think you should do anything to survive,' he said slowly, casting an apologetic glance at Remus as he did so. 'It's what I would do.'

'Remus?' James asked.

Remus sighed. 'Well, it's three to one,' he said.

'I won't do this without your support,' James said evenly. 'It's all in or nothing. I can live with being in Azkaban and knowing I got Rochefort, but I can't live with you holding it against me.'

Remus looked at James. 'I would never hold it against you, James,' he said quietly. He looked at Sirius and Peter. 'I hope it never has to come to that—but if it does…well. Make it count,' he said after a moment.

Sirius stepped forward and clapped James on the back. 'Rochefort's got no idea what he's in for. This may be the only time that you have a competitive edge on him.'

'How is she planning to teach you?' Remus asked.

James shrugged. 'She didn't really get into that. She just wanted me to think about it for now. She said she wouldn't be doing her job as my teacher if she didn't give me all the necessary knowledge I'd need to survive.'

'I guess she has a point,' Remus said. 'Do you think we should all learn?'

'No,' James said firmly. 'It's me he wants—me who might have the shot. And I don't want you all spending the rest of your lives in Azkaban with me.'

Sirius snorted. 'That's a load of dung. Why would we let you rot in there by yourself?'

James shook his head. 'If we can avoid it, we should. I—I won't give up hope that the Ministry would see sense.'

'It's the law, James,' Remus said.

'So what? Laws can be changed,' James said adamantly. 'They've been changing laws for years, haven't they?'

'That's a hell of a risk to take,' Remus went on.

James shrugged. 'Like I said—if I'm successful and I end up in Azkaban, I can live with that. Rochefort being wiped off the board would be worth it.'

Peter cleared his throat. 'Do you really think it's going to come to that, James?' he asked. 'To kill or be killed?'

James nodded. 'There's not a question in my mind. It's going to be him or me. The only question I have is when is he going to strike.'

'Christmas holiday?' Sirius asked.

'Possibly. Or a Hogsmeade weekend,' James replied.

Remus shook his head. 'I think he'll wait until you're as far from Dumbledore as possible. I think the end of the year or Christmas holiday is the most likely time he'd pick.'

'That's assuming he does it this year,' Peter said. 'What if he waits? What if he wants to make you sweat?'

'Admittedly, that's exactly the sort of thing Rochefort might do,' Sirius said with a sigh.

James shook his head. 'I think he'll want this over quick. I just have a feeling…by the end of the year, he and I are going to cross paths.'

Remus chewed his lip. 'Well, then you shouldn't waste any time with Madam Bones. Tell her tomorrow that you're ready.'

James nodded. 'I will.'


	20. Owls and Boggarts

20

James barely slept the next night. It felt as if every time his eyes closed, he would see a flash of green light and hear the sounds of Rochefort's silky, menacing laugh. He resisted the temptation to get up and sit by the fire, not out of reluctance to do so, but out of fear that Lily would be there. James knew he would have a difficult time hiding what was bothering him and did not feel up to lying.

The next morning saw him exhausted as a result, but he patiently waited out Defense Against the Dark Arts the next day and lingered until the classroom was empty save for him and Madam Bones. 'I didn't mean to just take one day, Potter,' Bones said conversationally.

'I want to learn,' James said.

Bones regarded him carefully. 'What did your friends have to say on the matter?'

James swallowed. 'They're unanimous,' he said at last. 'There was some…discussion about the subject, but in the end, they were unanimous.'

Bones nodded slowly. 'They are good friends,' she said at last. 'We will need to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible. I don't think I need to tell you that Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the staff would likely not approve of what I am going to teach you.'

'I'm aware of it,' James said. 'I think you should be aware, too—not much occurs in this school without Dumbledore's knowing of it.'

'True,' Madam Bones said. 'There are only a few short weeks left before the Christmas break begins. I think it would be prudent to get at least one lesson in. Perhaps we should just add it on to the end of our non-verbal spell lessons? Or would that be too taxing?'

James shook his head. 'No,' he said at last. 'I think that would be fine.'

Bones nodded. 'Right. Off you go to class, then,' she said and she turned back to her desk.

*

'Alright, Potter?' Gideon Prewett asked as James sat at the lunch table. 'Or are you feeling particularly morose about something?'

'We have something that might cheer you up,' Fabian added with a grin. 'It has to do with—er—certain end-of-year shenanigans that we may be planning.'

Sirius perked up right away. 'What did you get?'

Gideon grinned. 'We broke into the laundry department and nicked some extra robes. It will be an important part of the plan.'

'Excellent,' Sirius grinned. 'We should probably walk through the finer points of it sometime soon. How much longer is the Potion going to take to brew, Moony?' he asked.

Remus gave Sirius a pointed glare for the use of the nickname. 'It will need to stew over the holidays,' he said at last. 'Professor Slughorn will make sure it is not tampered with. He is most interested to see if we will be able to use it successfully.'

'Well, we can't exactly show him what we're planning to do with it, can we?' Sirius asked.

'No,' James said. 'But we can just use it in front of him to show that it works.'

'That would work,' Remus said with a sigh. 'And before any of you ask, yes—Frank consented to being part of the excuse for brewing the potion. He was surprisingly excited to take part,' he added with a frown.

Sirius chuckled. 'Always new there was a mischief maker lurking in that boy somewhere,' he said happily.

'Do you think this will top last year's prank?' Peter asked.

James shrugged. 'I don't know if we can match the scale of that one—but I think this prank has the potential to drive Snape seriously mad.'

Fabian laughed. 'Oh, I can't wait to see the look on his face…pity it's still a few months away.'

James smiled faintly in spite of himself. At that moment, they were joined by Frank and Alice who sat down on the opposite side of the table. 'Everything alright, James?' Frank asked brightly. James looked up and gaze the best grin he could manage. 'What—classes not going well this morning?'

'Oh it's fine, I know all that rubbish,' James said with a wink. 'Just thinking about Christmas holiday coming up.'

'Ah,' Frank said with a slightly knowing look. 'Any plans?'

James shrugged. 'Go home, spend it with my parents.'

'Oi—isn't that Seger?' Sirius said suddenly. James looked up in time to see his familiar owl soaring down over the table where it dropped a letter neatly down into James' hand. Before he could so much as look back up, Seger had flown off and out. James looked with a slightly bashful look at Frank and Alice.

'He likes to go and eat right after he delivers,' he said as he opened the envelope.

'Who's it from?' Remus inquired.

'My Mum,' James said. In spite of himself again, he smiled—he had forgotten in all of his discussions with Sirius, Remus and Peter the previous night to even consider what his parents might think. The thought simultaneously filled him with excitement and shame; he couldn't imagine his parents ever frowning upon him for defending his own life in whatever way was possible, but he also knew they had both faced extreme danger in their own careers and never had they once used an Unforgiveable Curse. James opened the letter with apprehension.

'Dear James,

With Christmas approaching, your father and I were talking a lot about how we wanted to spend it this year. Obviously, with our house still under the Ministry's watchful eye, it won't exactly seem the same as previous years. By the same token, we don't want you to have to spend Christmas at Hogwarts again. So we would like you to come home, but we would also like to extend the invitation to your friends Sirius, Remus and Peter if they would like to come.

You can send a reply with Seger once he's finished stuffing his beak with food.

Love,

Mum'

'Wicked!' Sirius said. 'I'm so there.'

'Your parents will let you go?' Peter asked in surprise.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Come on, you met them, Peter. James is a marked man, there's a good chance he could be killed. The fact that it could be life threatening for me to be there will be one of my biggest selling points!'

James laughed. 'I don't know, they seemed pretty angry that you were taken.'

Sirius waved a hand dismissively. 'They were angry because of the way it looked, not because they cared about me,' he muttered. 'But that's beside the point—I'm in.'

'I'll have to check with my parents,' Remus said. 'I'd love to go.'

'Even with all the danger?' Peter asked.

Remus shrugged. 'Are we really any safer at our own homes? They know by now that we're friends of his. And James' house has Ministry protection, too.'

'Good point,' Peter said, looking slightly relieved. 'I'll ask my parents, too.'

'Wicked,' James said happily, feeling suddenly far more upbeat than he had all day long. 'What are your holiday plans, Frank?' he asked.

Frank looked at Alice with a furtive smile. 'Well, Alice and I were talking about meeting each others' families. Well—I'd meet Alice's parents, and she could meet my mother,' he said, a shadow of the ghostly Frank they had seen for much of the first and second years of school passing across his face. Alice squeezed his shoulder. 'But it should be fun!' he added, smiling again.

'It sounds great,' Remus said bracingly. 'We get one more Hogsmeade visit before the break, we should do some Christmas shopping.'

'Are you going to get something for Lily?' Frank asked idly. Alice raised her eyebrows at James who chuckled.

'Should I?' he said nonchalantly. 'She would never admit we're friends in public.'

Alice smiled. 'And in private?' she asked.

'Still no,' Sirius supplied to a laugh from Frank.

'So you're not going to get her anything?'

James shrugged. 'We'll see, I guess. What about you, Frank? Getting anything for Alice?' he asked, raising his own eyebrows in a mockingly suggestive manner.

Frank looked somewhat embarrassed. 'Of course—friends get each other gifts,' he said as Alice beamed at him. He looked threateningly at James who merely smirked and started playing with his food again.

The following Monday, Madam Bones ended their non-verbal practice session after Peter managed to perform a particularly strong Jelly-Legs Jinx on Remus without uttering a word. Even after Bones uttered 'Finite incantatem,' Remus' legs were still running about.

'Excellent work,' Madam Bones boomed. 'You are all making excellent progress. Remember to keep practicing over Christmas break,' she added as Remus headed for the door, supported by Sirius and Peter.

'Coming, James?' Sirius called.

'In a bit—just a question about homework,' James said.

Everyone in the room knew what that meant. Sirius hesitated, nodded and left with the others, the door closing softly behind them. 'Muffliato,' Bones said softly, her wand pointed at the door. 'One of your schoolmates has a gift for creating spells,' she added to clarify. 'This particular one ensures we will not be overheard.'

'Oh,' James said. 'So…where do we begin?'

Bones surveyed him carefully. 'Given that your opponent is Gilles Rochefort, I think there would be little use in teaching you the Imperius Curse at the moment. While a maniac, he has a strong mind and would therefore be extremely difficult to place under the Curse, even if it was an extremely experienced wizard or witch casting the spell.

'Likewise, the Cruciatus Curse—while somewhat disabling—would only buy you time, and requires a certain amount of uninterrupted concentration to perform. So…' she trailed off.

James nodded. 'You want to start with the Killing Curse,' he said.

'Correct,' Madam Bones went on. 'What do you know about this curse specifically?'

'It's unblockable by magic,' James said.

'By magic being the very, very important point,' Madam Bones said. 'An extremely important part of a duel is to take stock of your surroundings. Mastering the summoning charm will be extremely important, as summoning anything—a rock, a door, a chair—into the way of the spell can intercept it. That is your best defense against 'Avada Kedavara',' she said.

James swallowed. 'How does one use it?'

'It is extremely simple,' Bones said quietly. 'The Unforgiveable Curses are not complex, and they are not difficult. Any fool with a wand is able to cast it.'

James frowned. 'So why do only accomplished Dark Wizards use it?' he asked.

'It's the feeling that goes into the spell,' Bones said. 'You may often have felt that your wand is merely an extension of you, that it follows your bidding, and you can pour out your feelings—be it love of making a potion, hope of conjuring a Patronus, or anger or the need to fight when casting a stunning or disarming charm—spells require both precision of thought _and_of emotion.'

'So what thoughts and emotions do I need?' James asked.

Bones looked out the window. 'It is precisely that which makes the Unforgiveable Curses difficult, especially for a good person such as yourself,' she added with a small smile. 'Hatred and the desire to inflict ill will are the key ingredients.'

'Ill will,' James echoed.

'In the case of the Killing Curse—it is simply to kill,' Bones clarified. 'The old saying is that Unforgiveable Curses are absolutely useless unless you really _mean_them,' she said. 'This, of course, is untrue. Even a toddler casting the curse could likely give a grown wizard a nosebleed, or a nasty cut.'

'It's possible for the curse not to work?' James asked.

Bones nodded. 'Correct again,' she said. 'If you were to try using the curse upon me right now, I doubt you would do much more than give me a bruise.'

'I would never use it on you,' James said, horrified.

'Oh I know,' Madam Bones said. 'I have never used the curses upon another human being either.'

James frowned. 'Do you mind…if I ask who taught you about the curses?' James asked.

'I was mostly self taught. But there are people within the Ministry of Magic who believe in knowing as much about these curses as possible.'

She said no more and James nodded. 'So do you think I would be able to kill Rochefort?' he asked.

'I can't answer that question, because I can't see what lies within your heart, James Potter,' she said. 'Rochefort is a terrible man. Wishing him to be dead is an altogether easy task for anyone with a brain. But being the one to snuff the life out of his eyes and cease his existence is an entirely different line of thought altogether. A good person has trouble contemplating murdering someone, even those who are most deserving of death.'

James nodded. 'So it comes down to whether I can will myself to do it or not.'

Bones looked at him carefully. 'There is no doubt in my mind, Potter, that—at the very least—you could gravely injure him. He has struck at the very center of everything you hold dear. He murdered the family of your friend Frank Longbottom, he attacked your own family, and those of the Hanson and Evans families. He murdered Artemis Bowen, he kidnapped Cristobal Mondego and Sirius Black…and none of that even touches upon the fact that he has tortured or murdered Muggles for years. That is enough incentive for most people to do great harm in a duel.'

'Do you think that duel will be soon?' James whispered.

Madam Bones hesitated. 'There are very important people trying to ensure that this confrontation never takes place, Potter. I don't think I need to tell you just how big a priority this has become. The Minister and the Headmaster are both personally involved in the situation, as are various important players in the Ministry.'

'I don't want to cause anyone any trouble,' James muttered.

'Hardly the case,' Madam Bones said. 'You have become something of an idol for many people, Potter. You have lived to tell the tale on Gilles Rochefort on several occasions—to say nothing of escaping Voldemort himself, which is unheard of.'

'And I've put everyone I know in danger as a result,' James said.

'Everyone you know is in danger regardless,' Madam Bones said. 'One way or another—war is coming. All you may have done is speed things up a little. But that's enough talk—now it's time to practice.'

James gulped as he felt a thrill of dread. 'How—how do we do that?'

'A boggart,' Madam Bones said simply. Your Killing Curse will not ultimately do it in—only the Riddikulus charm can accomplish that. However, it will succeed in stopping the Boggart's form momentarily enough.'

'How does a—what is a boggart?' James asked.

'Nasty little shape shifter,' Madam Bones said as she walked over to the chest in the corner of the room. 'Not much larger than your common house cat. However, they instantly sense the greatest fear of the person standing before it and assume its shape.'

James' eyes widened. 'So it's going to turn into Rochefort?' he asked.

'And he will act exactly as your mind expects him to act,' Bones said firmly. 'Do you feel ready for this?'

James clutched his wand in his hand and nodded.

'All I want you to do,' Madam Bones said, 'is point your wand at him—summon all the feeling you can—and cast the curse. Only once for tonight.'

James backed up a step and nodded. Madam Bones waved her wand and the chest opened. A tall wizard wearing a long black travelling cloak emerged; his long, curly brown hair swung around his face, casting his eyes in shadow, so that his one human eye remained covered in darkness. The candlelight in the room caught the whirring mechanical eye which was focused entirely now upon James. Next, the candlelight caught the glint of his teeth as Gilles Rochefort grinned down at James in a most menacing fashion.

'James Potter,' he said in a soft yet malicious tone.

'Now,' Madam Bones said.

James' mind raced—his mother being cursed, the Cruciatus curse being placed upon him, fear for his father down stairs as Death Eaters invaded the house—

'AVADA KEDAVARA!' James bellowed.

The world seemed to slow down around him. It felt as if every ounce of energy he had in his body flowed up suddenly, boiling into his head and almost causing him to lose his footing. Just as quickly as it had done that, it suddenly coursed through his body into his right arm, flowing out of his hand and into his wand which spat a massive jet of green light forward. The jet of light caught Rochefort square in the left shoulder, spinning him around on the spot.

For a second, James thought he had managed to do it—but Rochefort remained on his feet and laughed, his arm hanging at a grotesque angle from his side. 'Little baby Potter, seeking to kill me? Please,' he said, raising his own wand.

'Riddiklus,' Bone said firmly and Rochefort suddenly vanished on the spot with a loud pop.

James sank to his knees, panting. He felt physically ill. 'I didn't do it,' he muttered to himself, and he found that he was in a cold sweat.

'You did well,' Madam Bones said. 'For a first time that—that was very impressive. Are you alright?' she asked.

'Fine,' James whispered.

'That's all for tonight,' Madam Bones said.

'Will it—will it get easier?' James asked, looking up at Madam Bones. He could not recall a time in his life where he had felt worse than he did at this moment—even all of his hospital wing visits combined didn't compare.

Madam Bones scrutinized him for a long moment. 'Only if you wish it to, Potter,' she said quietly.


	21. Guards and Hijinx

21

Christmas approached rapidly, although it did little to lift James' feeling. He had been feeling put off ever since his lesson with Madam Bones—she warned him that he might feel out of sorts for a while—but he hadn't expected anything quite this extreme. He had put on a brave face for the remaining week before the holiday, but he had laid awake on most nights, staring up at the top of his four poster. He refused to go down to sit by the fire out of fear of seeing Lily. He had a hunch he would not be able to hide the truth from her, and he felt he was finally making some headway in earning her trust.

The opportunity to get out of Hogwarts and go home for the holidays came as something of a relief. Sirius, Remus and Peter's parents had all agreed to let them stay with James' family over the holiday, so that was something to lift his spirits. They waited at Hogsmeade station as the Hogwarts Express pulled in to take them back to London.

'I can't believe this year's at the halfway point,' James sighed as he turned to look at Sirius. He quickly turned away again as Sirius was locked in a passionate embrace with Marlene McKinnon. 'Subtle, mate,' James muttered under his breath to a chuckle from Remus.

'So James,' Remus said. 'Any Christmas gifts to give out before the holiday?'

'Don't know what you're talking about,' James replied.

Remus raised an eyebrow. 'Oh really?' he quipped. 'So that wasn't your father's old cloak I saw you stashing into your bag when we went to Hogsmeade last weekend?'

James laughed. 'You're entirely too observant, Moony,' he said. 'Alright—I snuck off and got a present for someone.'

'Would this someone have red hair?' Peter asked in a hushed voice.

James cuffed him in the head. 'Knock it off,' he said. 'Someone will hear.'

'Why the secrecy?' Peter queried. 'It's not exactly your style—you're usually kind of showy. It's your thing.'

'Well, maybe that—thing—doesn't impress everyone.'

Remus' other eyebrow raised. 'That's surprisingly mature of you. I think I see the fair maiden now; Peter, walk with me.'

'Oh that's alright, I think I'll—' Peter began but Remus grabbed him by the elbow and hauled him away. Lily was just walking by with Mary McDonald and Alice Dearborn. James cast a glance at Sirius and Marlene, who were still kissing enthusiastically, and stepped forward.

'Alright, Evans?' he said brightly.

Lily looked at him. 'Oh, hello,' she said.

'Catch up with us, Lily,' Alice said.

'Hi James!' Mary said nervously, but—like Peter—she found herself being grabbed by the elbow and dragged off by Alice.

'I've barely seen you recently,' Lily said with a small smile. 'I've actually been able to get a fair amount of late night reading done without your constant interruptions.'

James' mouth twitched. 'I didn't realize I was keeping you from such a wildly entertaining night life,' he said with a smirk.

Lily laughed. 'Is there something you wanted?' she asked, and James thought he detected a hint of expectation in her voice.

'Well, yeah,' he said and he reached into his bag and produced a small box. 'I just wanted to say Merry Christmas, Evans.'

Lily smiled brightly as she accepted the box. She then looked at him skeptically. 'Does it bite?'

'No,' James said.

'Scratch?'

'No.'

'Spit unspeakable slobber?'

'No,' James said, starting to laugh.

'Shout obscene things?'

James rolled his eyes. 'If you're feeling apprehensive, you could always open it right here,' he said.

Lily shrugged and opened the box. She frowned as she pulled a small, stuffed reindeer with a large red nose from it. 'How in the…' she said, looking up at James in surprise.

'I snuck out of town during our last Hogsmeade weekend,' James said meekly.

Lily flushed. 'Potter—that was insane! You know—Rochefort—why would you do that?'

'Well, like you said—Rochefort. Who knows how many Christmases I've got left?' James said with a cocky grin.

'That's not funny,' Lily said with a frown.

'Anyway,' James said. 'I know it's a bit—well—not really magical…but I thought you might appreciate it. His name is—'

'—Rudolph, I know,' Lily said looking down at the stuffed reindeer. 'We watch it every Christmas on the television. It's the only time of year that Tuney seems to actually like me,' she said in a small voice.

James raised his eyebrows. 'Well, er,' he said. 'I hope you like it.'

Lily stepped forward and embraced him. James momentarily felt off balance, and then was suddenly filled with a warm feeling that seemed to erase the last few weeks of his life. Gone was the nausea, unease and fear that had been eating at him and keeping him awake at nights. It was all replaced by Lily Evans. He leaned his chin upon her shoulder and smiled to himself dreamily.

'Thank you,' Lily whispered. 'I feel awful—I didn't get you anything.'

James summoned all his might and managed to step back from her embrace. He smiled his first genuine smile in days. 'Yeah you did, Evans,' he said happily. She went slightly pink as the whistle for the train sounded. 'You should catch up with Dearborn and McDonald, though,' he added.

'Merry Christmas, Potter,' Lily said.

'You too,' James replied. 'And Evans?'

She had been about to leave when she stopped to look at him. 'Yes?'

'Stay safe…please,' he added.

'You too,' she replied and she jogged off to catch up with her friends.

'Well played, mate!' Sirius said suddenly from behind James causing him to jump. He turned to see Sirius laughing and fought off the urge to laugh himself—Sirius' face was once again covered in lipstick. 'Come on, let's go and get a compartment.' He put an arm around Marlene, who also appeared to have lipstick somehow smothered all over her face.

'I think you need to work on your aim,' James said to general confusion from the other two as they stepped aboard the train. 'Let's hope Peter and Remus have found us a good compartment.'

'Hello, Potter,' said Dorcas brightly as they stepped into the hallway. 'Want to come sit with us?' she asked, motioning to her and Dirk Cresswell who waved in a somewhat surprisingly bashful way.

'Oh, that's alright—' James began.

'I insist,' Dorcas said.

James looked at Sirius who frowned but shrugged and they joined them in their compartment. 'Thanks,' he said in a slightly confused voice as they sat down.

'See? I told you he'd be bewildered,' Cresswell muttered.

'Shut it,' Dorcas replied politely.

'Bewildered by what?' James asked.

Cresswell smirked. 'By our sudden hospitality,' he said.

'We did wonder,' Sirius said.

Dorcas sighed. 'Well—I guess there's no harm in telling. We're your guard, Potter. And I guess by proxy, that means we're guarding Black and McKinnon here, too.'

Marlene frowned. 'Guard? From what?'

'Don't you know? Rudolph here is a marked man,' Sirius snickered.

'Who's Rudolph?' Creswell frowned.

'Back on the subject here,' James interjected. 'Who says I need guarding? From what?'

Dorcas sighed as she looked out the window. 'Don't be thick, Potter. From Rochefort of course. We're here to make sure that nothing happens to you on the train ride.'

'So Rochefort is supposed to be afraid of a couple of seventh years? No offense,' Sirius said with an ugly grimace.

'None taken,' Cresswell replied. 'There's Aurors on the train as well. We're just supposed to stick to Potter here like glue until we can trade him off.'

James shook his head. 'To who?' he asked.

'There'll be some people at Platform 9 and ¾ to collect you,' Dorcas said with a slightly embarrassed smile. 'I told them you wouldn't like this, but they were pretty persistent. They really want to keep an eye on you.'

'And who's they?' Sirius asked.

Dorcas shrugged. 'The Ministry, the teachers, the family dog…who doesn't?' she asked. 'Anyway—just an excuse to spend some time together. So, who is Rudolph?' she asked in a wildly transparent attempt to change the subject.

'Yes, James, do tell the inspiration behind your magnificently romantic gift for Lily Evans.'

Cresswell's eyebrows raised and Dorcas' face split into a grin. James sighed as she rubbed her hands together eagerly. 'What did you get her?'

'I snuck off to a little Muggle town during our last Hogsmeade weekend,' James said quickly. 'She comes from a Muggle family, so I thought it might be—I don't know, familiar to her—anyway, Rudolph is some sort of Christmas story about a flying, talking reindeer.'

'That sounds ridiculous,' Marlene said.

James shrugged. 'Is it all that different from any of our Beetle and Bard stories? I mean, Babbity Rabbity?'

'Fair enough,' Dorcas said. 'So what exactly did you get her?'

'A little stuffed reindeer,' James replied.

Cresswell frowned. 'That's it? What does it do?'

'Well…nothing,' James said.

'Nothing?' Cresswell echoed with a shake of his head. 'Those Muggles are mighty easy to please,' he added in an undertone.

'But she liked it,' Dorcas said.

'I'll say,' Sirius said with a roguish grin. 'Rudolph here got himself a nice big hug from the fiery tempered maiden, didn't he?'

James smacked Sirius as he laughed. The rest of the train ride passed uneventfully; Remus and Peter eventually caught up with them to ride things out. When they arrived at Hogsmeade, they were playfully escorted off the train by Dorcas and Cresswell. James cast his gaze about for his parents and was somewhat surprised when two Aurors—Alastor Moody and Engelland—approached.

'Alright, you lot, come with us,' Moody growled.

'Er,' Peter said nervously.

'What's going on?' James asked.

Engelland smiled. 'Relax; it's all precautionary. We're taking you to a Ministry car. We're going to the Ministry and then taking you to Godric's Hollow via the Floo Network.'

'Is this really all necessary?' James muttered.

'Quit bellyaching,' Moody growled as they all began to walk. 'Not every day that you're squarely in the sights of a mass murderer. So we're all being cautious.'

'Hold on, we're leaving Sirius,' Remus said. They all turned to see Sirius and Marlene once again locked in a passionate embrace. James rolled his eyes and caught sight of Moody and Engelland. He had to bite back laughter—Moody looked as if someone had just insulted his mother, while Engelland looked thoroughly bemused.

'This is no time for romance!' Moody shouted.

With a sound like a plunger being extracted from a toilet, Sirius and Marlene separated, bid quick goodbyes and Sirius jogged to catch up with then. He grimaced at James. 'Sorry mate.'

'Wonder why your Dad couldn't make it?' Peter asked with a nervous glance at Moody who was still eyeing Sirius with intense dislike.

'Because he would be a target for Rochefort and used as bait for Potter here, obviously,' Moody replied.

'Easy, Alastor,' Engelland said pleasantly. He turned to James with a wink. 'Your Dad put up a hell of a fight to come down and pick you up personally, but it was Minister Bagnold that ended up forcing him and your mother to stay home. Although she didn't manage that easily.'

Moody snorted. 'Your old man can be an intimidating presence when he feels like it,' he said.

'I've never noticed,' James said dryly to a chuckle from both of the men.

'It seems like an awful lot of trouble,' Peter said nervously.

Remus chuckled. 'Come on, Peter. It just means we're all the safer.'

'Yeah,' Sirius chimed in. 'And you guys realize how historic this Christmas is going to be, right? Our first holiday together—the Marauders!'

'The what now?' Moody asked skeptically.

'We're the Marauders,' Peter said timidly.

Engelland elbowed Moody to keep him moving along as he muttered something about children's clubs. Engelland grinned at the boys as they began animatedly talking about the hijinx they should get up to.

'Poor Mrs. Potter,' he said with a sigh to Moody. 'I don't think she knows what she's signed up for.'


	22. Families and Interruptions

22

'Come on, James, I think you're making some progress!' Remus was saying late one evening as they sat awake in James' room.

'Call me crazy, but we're at a time in our life where we're growing enough body hair as it is. I don't want to have to explain to everyone at school why my hands are all fuzzy,' James groused as Sirius took a razor to his hands while laughing. 'And steady with that razor, Sirius.'

Peter motioned for them to be quiet. 'At least it's progress.'

'What? Having hairy knuckles? I did that two months ago,' James said.

'Yes, but I think they're even hairier this time,' Peter said encouragingly.

James laughed. 'Right. I'm sure it's the amount of hair I've got that will stop Moony from viewing me as lunch.'

Remus chuckled. 'The fact that you're making any progress at all is quite impressive, really.'

'They're making progress,' Peter mumbled. 'I haven't managed anything.'

'Consider yourself lucky,' James muttered as Sirius finished shaving the short fur off of his hands.

'Well how did you manage to do that?' Peter whined. 'Sirius and you have both shown at least some sign of changing, and I haven't done anything.'

James shrugged. 'I don't know. I was trying to do what the book said—think of everything and nothing at the same time whilst also trying to non-verbally mutter the correct incantations,' he said.

'And that's it?' Peter asked.

James frowned. 'Well—my mind did wander to Lily.'

Sirius raised his eyebrows. 'This is beginning to sound a bit too pubescent for my liking. If I'm going to turn into a great hairy beast every time I'm around Marlene, this might not be worth it,' he joked.

'I think it would be an improvement,' Remus said casually to a great roar of laughter from Peter and James. 'Anyway—maybe that's enough work on the Animagi front tonight. It is Christmas Eve after all,' he said.

The few days they had enjoyed together since arriving at the Potter house had been tremendous fun. It was still taking a bit of getting used to for James, as this was not the house he had grown up in. The Potters had picked up and moved after they were attacked by Death Eaters midway through James' second year. But the new house was not without its perks; there was a miniature Quidditch Pitch in the back yard which the four of them had used to great amusement. They had started off playing in teams of two, but upon realizing that Sirius, Peter and Remus were rather poor fliers, it had quickly turned into the three of them against James.

Mrs. Potter had been pulling out all the stops with Christmas music and magnificent feasts each night. Mr. Potter joked that taking up culinary arts was her way of coping with retirement, although his way—of doing everything what he called 'the Muggle way' left Mrs. Potter frustrated on many nights.

'Where's your father?' she asked one evening.

'Clearing the snow off the front walk,' James replied.

'But he went to do that an hour ago!'

Sirius nodded. 'He wanted to test out that new muggle contraption. The snow shovel.'

They had heard Mr. and Mrs. Potter debating the logic of him using such a laboriously slow device at his age from inside. They had even spotted the Aurors around the house having a laugh about it. Engelland was parked in his usual spot, dressed as a homeless man sitting on the park bench across the way.

'He must get cold,' Sirius observed. 'Do you think he knows what we're up to?'

Remus shrugged. 'Unless he has a way of hearing inside the house—or if one of you actually manages to turn into an Animagus form and he sees us, I doubt it.'

'I wonder what forms we'll take,' Peter sighed as he stared out the window at the falling snow. 'I mean, we don't really get any choice, do we? So how does it work?'

Remus leafed through the pages of the book. 'Well, like I said before—it's the physical manifestation of your subconscious self. So I guess that on a subconscious level, we all have an animal form.'

'You mean monkeys?' Sirius asked.

'Yes, Sirius,' Remus deadpanned. 'You're going to hop up and down and fling feces at me when I transform.'

James chuckled. 'Does the book say anything on how it works?'

Remus shook his head. 'It seems specific to each person,' he said. Then he looked thoughtful. 'You and Sirius have managed a little progress. Do you feel anything in particular when it happens?'

'You mean apart from extraordinarily itchy?' Sirius cracked. 'Not really…'

James shook his head. 'I don't think we've got far enough to really tell.'

'If you two can't then I haven't got a chance,' Peter moaned.

'Oh knock it off, Peter. We'll all get there sooner or later,' Sirius said. 'It doesn't matter how long it takes.'

'So are you excited for Christmas?' James asked. 'Can't wait to see the looks on your faces when you get your gifts.'

Sirius leaned against the wall. 'What, more Rudolph toys? Don't flatter yourself, James, I'm not going to snog you.'

James whipped a pillow at him. 'Evans liked it,' he said.

'It was surprisingly thoughtful,' Remus agreed.

'What do you mean surprisingly?' James scoffed.

'It means you're normally a prat,' Sirius replied. James searched around for another pillow to hurl at him, but Remus shrewdly moved the other one out of the way. 'Hopefully my family doesn't send anything here. It'd probably be poisoned.'

Peter looked uncomfortable. 'Sorry,' he said.

Sirius shrugged. 'For what? You didn't force them to be unreasonable bigots.'

'Well, no,' Peter said. 'But—don't you wish you had a better relationship with them?'

Sirius snorted. 'The only thing I wish for them to be was somewhere far, far away from here,' he muttered. 'Things haven't exactly improved of late. Did I tell you that my favorite cousin Andromeda got blasted off the family tree?'

'Blasted off the family tree…?' Remus echoed.

Sirius leaned back and sighed. 'Well, we're a pureblood family of course. 'Tujours pur,' that's the family motto.'

'Beg pardon?' Peter asked.

'It means 'always pure',' Remus said.

Sirius nodded. 'Maniacs. Anyway—they keep track of the entire family going back for generations. My understanding is most pure blood families have—or had—a tapestry like this at some point, but my parents worship this ruddy thing. So to cut a long story short, anyone who brings dishonor to the family just gets blasted off of it.' He mimed waving his wand at something. 'And all that's left where your name and face used to be is a big scorch.'

'That's awful,' Peter said, horrified.

Sirius shrugged. 'I don't know. I think it would be a mark of really making it in the world to have those cretins declare that they're not related to you.'

'So you can see your family line going back for a long time?'

Sirius nodded. 'Yes, and I can also see who I'm related to now,' he muttered. 'Most pure blood families are related in one way or another. There's probably a Potter on that list somewhere,' he added with a faint smile at James. 'Although they're probably not as demented as most of the Black family. Most of them.'

'And that's where your cousin Andromeda comes in,' Remus said.

'Yep. Disgraced the family, so off she went,' Sirius said with a smile.

'You seem happy about it,' Peter pointed out.

'Why wouldn't I be?' Sirius said. 'She still my family. More than any of the people I shared a house with all my life are, anyway. And she's won the prize of not being acknowledge by them anymore.'

James frowned. 'So how did she disgrace the family?'

'She married a muggle,' Sirius said.

Peter's jaw dropped. 'No way!'

'Congratulations,' Remus said sincerely.

'I'm sensing more to the story…?' James asked.

Sirius grinned. 'Course there is. Well, the family didn't know that Andromeda had been dating a muggle. His name is Ted Tonks—real swell guy. She didn't even tell the family they were engaged. But I guess one day Ted insisted on meeting the family,' he said with a grimace. 'I thought he had more guts than brains at that point, but to each their own. So they showed up to a family dinner. Her parents didn't exactly love it, but they're not as psychotic as mine. Uncle Cygnus and Aunt Druella were always somewhat apathetic to everything around them. But my dear mother started in on Andromeda in a tirade that I won't repeat here.'

'So what happened next?'

'Andromeda told my mother to shut her stupid face,' Sirius said, gazing off distantly as if happily reliving the memory. 'So my father slapped her.'

James, Peter and Remus' jaws dropped. 'What happened next?' Remus asked in a hushed whisper.

Sirius looked positively euphoric now. 'Ted Tonks knocked him out cold—muggle style,' he said.

Remus wolf whistled and James shook his head, grinning as he did. 'I think I'm starting to like this Ted fellow as well.'

'It got a little testy after that,' Sirius chuckled. 'Wands out all around. I was trying to get Ted and Andromeda out the door—well, me and my Uncle Alphard, bless him. One of the only other decent members of my family,' he added. 'Even ickle Reggie was trying to stop my mother from killing someone. 'You can't be going off to Azkaban, Mum!',' he muttered in an imitation of Regulus' voice. 'And so once they were gone, it was straight up the stairs and 'zap!', off the family tree she went.'

'Your family sounds pleasant,' Remus said dryly.

'Tip of the iceberg, mate,' Sirius replied. 'But they're only family in name. Right now, I'm spending Christmas with my real family,' he said, spreading his arms wide to gesture at the other three. 'This is the best Christmas I've ever had.'

'Cheers,' James said with a grin.

'Speaking of cheers,' came a voice from the doorway as Mr. Potter walked in carrying a tray, 'if you're going to be chattering the night away, you might as well do it in style.' Butterbeers zoomed across the room into each of James, Remus, Peter and Sirius' hands.

'Thanks, Mr. Potter,' Sirius said with a wide smile. 'How's your back?'

Mr. Potter smiled back at him. 'Just fine. I think shoveling snow might be building some extra muscle back there.'

'Any news from the rest of the world?' James asked.

Mr. Potter sighed as he sat down on the edge of James' bed. 'It's gone rather quiet. We'd like to think the Death Eaters are off celebrating Christmas—or slaughtering a goat, or whatever it is they do when they're happy—and thus giving the rest of the world a break,' he said.

'Sounds like wishful thinking,' Remus observed.

Mr. Potter nodded. 'I fear it is,' he muttered. 'You could also call it a calm before the storm, I suppose.'

Just then, a loud and unmistakable crack sounded from outside. Mr. Potter was on his feet in an instant, his drink cast aside and his wand in his hand. 'Lupin, lights,' he hissed and Remus dashed across the room to dim the light. James grabbed his wand from his night side table and ran to join his father by the window, but he was forcefully shoved aside. 'Get down, out of sight,' his father ordered.

James ducked by the window, Sirius, Remus and Peter right behind him. They all had their wands out. 'What's going on?' James hissed.

'Someone's apparated onto the street—Engelland's dealing with them…and here come the others,' he added as more loud cracking sounds filled the streets, signaling the arrival of more Aurors. 'Alright, it should be safe to get up.'

James leapt to his feet and looked out the window. Aurors were crawling all over the street, and Engelland was in the middle, kneeling down in a crowd around someone lying in the road. 'What's going on?' James asked.

Mr. Potter frowned. 'Not sure. Stay here,' he said and he swept out of the room.

'Looks like someone's hurt,' Remus observed, and James had to agree. Some of the Aurors who had appeared were now kneeling down along with Engelland to tend to whoever was laying there, and someone else—a girl—was also leaned over the person lying in the middle of the street.

'There go your parents,' Peter said as light spread across the lawn from a door opening downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Potter jogged out into the street, and James saw Alastor Moody cross to join them quickly. He pointed up at the window where James and the others were peering out. Mr. Potter looked up and motioned for them to come.

'Let's roll!' James said and they all barreled out of the room, thundered down the stairs and made their way out the door and into the yard. They found their way blocked by Mrs. Potter.

'Just be calm,' she said forcefully. 'Something's happened, she may be in shock—but you're her friends and you need to be calm.'

'What are you talking about?' James asked, panic rising inside him. 'Who is it?'

'James Potter,' his mother said forcefully. 'Just…remain…calm. I'm going inside to put on some tea and hot chocolate.'

Mr. Potter appeared. 'James, this way. You three as well,' he added. They marched into the road and through the crowd of Aurors until they were at the side of the body lying in the middle of the road, still being tended to alertly by Engelland and several of his companions. James felt his heart sink down in his chest which suddenly felt as if it had been frozen solid.

Lying in the middle of the road, covered in blood and wheezing horribly, was Frank Longbottom.

The girl beside him turned and stared up at James, blood streaking her face and tears running from her eyes. 'Potter,' Alice Dearborn whispered. 'I don't know what to do.'


	23. Hospitals and Memories

23

The next few minutes passed in a blur. James and Remus helped Alice to her feet and quickly got her indoors over here somewhat alarmingly incoherent protests that she needed to stay with Frank. Engelland and the other Aurors were able to move him inside, where Alastor Moody was standing by the fireplace with Mr. Potter.

'What's going on?' James asked.

'We're getting re-connected to the Floo Network so we can get them to St. Mungo's immediately,' Mr. Potter said. 'Engelland's got Longbottom covered. You just keep Ms. Dearborn from going into shock. Can you do that?'

'Yeah,' James said and he went into the kitchen where Remus had successfully gotten Alice into a chair. Mrs. Potter quickly laid out hot chocolate for them all.

'I need to—I have to—I should be with Frank—' Alice said dumbly, standing up.

'Alice, take it easy,' James said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder and easing her back into her chair. 'Take it easy. Everything's alright you're—you're safe now,' he said with a hopeful glance at Sirius. 'Sirius, can you get me a wash cloth?'

Sirius nodded and fetched one from the cupboard, handing it to James.

'I'm just going to wipe your face,' James said gently. Alice nodded and he slowly dabbed at her face, prying off the combination of blood and tears that were marring her features. Each time, the blood came away thicker, but James could spot no cut. 'Do you know where you're hurt?' he asked gently.

Alice shook her head. 'It's…not my blood,' she whispered. James' stomach clenched. 'It's Frank's…it's all Frank's…' she muttered, closing her eyes tight as if trying to keep visions out of them.

'What happened?' Peter whispered, earning a reproachful look from both Remus and Sirius.

'We were just walking,' Alice said slowly. 'We had agreed to meet up and go for a—a walk in the park on Christmas Eve. His Mum told him not to go too far, but we thought it was okay. His house is being watched by the Ministry, too,' she added. 'Ever since…ever since his first year at Hogwarts.'

James didn't need an explanation to why. The fact that everyone in Frank's family apart from him and his mother had been murdered was fairly self explanatory.

'It was a nice night…everything was going perfect. I—I had—I had envisioned how I wanted the night to go,' Alice said, tears welling up in her eyes again. James felt a surge of sympathy—he had a very good guess as to what exactly Alice had wanted to occur on Christmas Eve of all days.

'Was it Rochefort?' James asked gently.

Alice shuddered, but shook her head. She looked up at James and for a moment, the sadness was gone from her face, replaced by another emotion. She looked oddly blank as she said the name: 'It was—'

'Alright, the link is established,' came Moody's gruff voice from the kitchen. 'Longbottom's going through first, we need to get him to the critical care ward. Dearborn should go next—you, come,' he said gruffly to Alice.

Mrs. Potter looked furious. 'You will be sympathetic to the situation, Moody, so help me,' she said in a growl that put his to shame.

Moody looked momentarily confused. 'Right,' he muttered. 'Er—Alex—' he began.

'Alice,' Mrs. Potter added.

'Right, Alice. Er—please come this way,' he said.

'We're coming, too,' James said firmly as he stood up.

Moody looked to Mr. Potter with a look that was equal parts pleading and annoyed . 'James, we probably shouldn't crowd the hospital, they'll need to tend to Frank immediately.'

'I know, but Alice shouldn't be alone. We're her friends,' James said. 'If we can't go via the Floo, I'll just take my broom.'

'Got your defiant streak,' Moody mumbled. Mr. Potter rolled his eyes and sighed. 'Right, fine. You lot—follow me into the fire. Remember, we're going to St. Mungo's. Say it clearly. Any of you have a speech impediment, now's not the time. I'm not going to the Congo to find any of you.'

Mrs. Potter glared daggers at Moody but he wasn't looking anymore. He hurled a handful of powder into the fireplace. Engelland and another Auror were the firs through, supporting Frank gingerly. Moody stepped through next.

'You and Alice should go first,' Remus said. James and Alice stepped into the flames, and James very clearly said the name of the hospital and they were off. A moment later, they emerged from what felt like a giant oven in the wall. He could see Frank was already on a gurney and being wheeled down the hall by a group of healers. Another group were coming towards Alice immediately.

'How is she?' asked a kind faced female healer.

'Er—' James began.

'Just keep me near Frank,' Alice requested, and the healer nodded as they helped her onto a gurney. Remus and Sirius came through the Floo next, followed by Peter and Mr. Potter.

'Has someone alerted the families?' James could hear Moody asking ahead of an older male healer.

'Yes,' the man replied. 'Augusta Longbottom is already here. Ms. Dearborn's parents should be here any moment.'

'And what about the people at the school and the Ministry?' Moody asked.

The man nodded. 'Professor Dumbledore arrived about ten minutes ago, and Minister Bagnold shortly thereafter. They're all up ahead. Fair warning—Crouch is here as well,' he said with a slightly pained look.

Moody nodded. 'Thanks,' he gruffed. 'Alright—this is far enough. Longbottom needs some space, so this room here is where Dea—Alice will go,' he corrected himself.

They stepped into the room and James snorted inwardly at his father's concern about it being crowded. Standing in the room were the Minister for Magic, Albus Dumbledore and Bartemius Crouch.

'What's all this?' Sirius said in an entirely undiplomatic voice.

Dumbledore inclined his head. 'My apologies; we were told to wait here. Naturally, we do not want to crowd Ms. Dearborn.'

'Although I will have some questions,' Crouch said firmly.

'Those can wait, I think,' Sirius said in that same confrontational tone. Crouch eyed him warily, but Sirius didn't flinch under his gaze.

Dumbledore chuckled. 'Come, Bartemius; I heard they have a new cook in the cafeteria since I was here last.'

'And when was that?' Crouch sighed as they walked towards the door.

'Nineteen thirty-seven. I must say, things have changed,' Dumbledore chuckled as they stepped out of the room, the Minister gliding silently along behind them.

'Thanks,' Alice mumbled as she accepted help onto a gurney.

'Looks like someone's cleaned you up,' said the kind faced healer. James caught a glimpse of her nametag and saw her name was Winter. 'Do you hurt anywhere?'

'My leg,' Alice muttered.

Winter quickly lifted Alice's pant leg and James grimaced. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peter look dazed, and Remus quickly supported him. Alice's leg was badly bruised, but the critical part was a bone was jutting out. Winter didn't miss a beat. 'Broken bones can be mended in a bat of an eye,' she said. 'It is best if you concentrate on something else, though. Maybe talk to your friends while I fix this?'

Alice nodded and looked over at them. 'James,' she said. 'Frank—Frank splinched himself.'

James nodded; he had only heard about splinching, and it had always sounded comical. But the sight of Frank laying there, bloodied and nearly unrecognizable, had been anything but. 'Why were you apparating?' he asked.

'We were attacked,' Alice grimaced slightly as Winter worked on her leg. 'Like I said—we were out for a walk. Frank's mother insisted on one of the Aurors tailing us at a distance. We didn't notice when—when he wasn't there anymore,' she said in a slightly ashamed voice.

'Someone else was there,' James pressed.

Alice nodded. 'I'm not sure how long it was him following us for,' she murmured. 'But I—we—we were distracted—'

'I might have an easier way for you to tell us,' Remus suggested. He had spotted something in the corner of the room. 'Winter,' he said. 'Is this a pensieve?'

Winter nodded without looking up. 'Yes,' she said. 'We make use of it for when people are in shock…but maybe it would help to tell it, instead?' she suggested.

'What does a pensieve do?' Alice asked.

Remus slowly moved it out of the corner. 'It allows you to revisit your memories—to watch them,' he said gently. 'It might be easier than…well, then talking about it.'

Winter pursed her lips as she looked up. 'Talking is healthy,' she said.

'I think I prefer Remus' way,' Alice said. 'I don't want to do Frank any injustice,' she murmured.

'Nonsense,' Sirius said. He looked torn—it was clear that curiosity was eating at him, but he also didn't want to overstep himself with Alice.

Alice shook her head. 'It might make things clearer—it was kind of a blur—is it dangerous?'

Remus shook his head. 'Not at all. It will be like walking alongside yourself, but you and your memory cannot see, hear, interact, or in any way influence each other. It's just a—oh, Lily would have the perfect word for this…like a movie?' he asked hesitantly.

'I don't know what that is,' Alice said with a small smile.

'Some Muggle thing—anyway—it's perfectly safe,' Remus said.

'You're sure about this?' Winter asked. Alice nodded. 'Alright, well—your leg is alright now. Don't over exert yourself. Do you know how to extract a memory?' Alice shook her head, so Winter held her wand up. 'I want you to concentrate on the memory for a moment, and I will bring it out.'

Alice closed her eyes and the room fell into uncomfortable silence. Winter slowly tapped the wand against the side of Alice's head and pulled a strand of hair out. Only it wasn't hair—James realized it was a silver string of glistening liquid, which Winter dropped into the basin that Remus had provided.

'One at a time—face first,' Winter said gently.

James looked at Alice who nodded. He steeled himself and bent over, putting his face into the bowl, and suddenly he was falling. He didn't think to shout out, and before he could decide whether or not to do much of anything, he landed on his feet. He was quickly joined by Remus, Sirius, Peter and finally, Alice.

It was a snowy evening in Frank's village, and James started when he saw Frank and Alice walking along through the park. They were dressed in winter coats, and it occurred to James that he ought to feel cold—but the temperature was mild to him.

'This way,' the present Alice murmured from James' side and they fell into step behind the two of them. James looked back, observing an Auror in a long overcoat following them from a distance.

'I'm glad your Mum let us go out for a walk,' past-Alice said with a smile at past-Frank who beamed back at her. 'We don't exactly get a lot of time alone together.'

Past-Frank chuckled. 'She's just worried. She doesn't like me being out of her sight. Being at the school is alright because there's people around.'

Past-Alice kept smiling at him. 'Well, I like the opportunity to be alone with you,' she said.

James heard a slight sound from behind him, and he knew the others had to. They were about halfway between the trailing Auror and past-Alice and Frank. James turned and nearly froze on the spot. Alice sighed deeply, Sirius swore silently, Remus said nothing, and Peter gasped.

Gone was the Auror. Standing in his place, a long cloak billowing about him, and the streetlights catching the glint of his scarlet eyes, was Lord Voldemort.

'Did you like your Christmas present?' Past-Frank was asking Past-Alice, the two of them completely unaware that their protector had just been murdered and they were likely next on the menu.

Past-Alice smiled. 'Yes,' she said with a smirk. 'Did you wonder if I got anything for you?' she asked.

James cast a glance at present-Alice, who was staring sadly at the scene. 'Do you want us to see this?' James asked quietly.

Alice sighed and nodded.

'You don't have to get me anything,' Past-Frank said, seemingly unaware of the fact that Past-Alice had stepped a little closer to him.

'But I have something for you,' Past-Alice said gently, her hand snaking out to grab his. Past-Frank's eyes widened and his cheeks reddened slightly in the snowy night.

James bit his lip and cast a glance back at Lord Voldemort. He nearly jumped—Voldemort had silently closed the distance between them by more than half, gliding along the ground as if he were a ghost.

'Alice, I…I really care about you,' Past-Frank was saying. James looked back to see Alice and Frank were now standing much closer together. Alice was now on her tip-toes, her face moving closer to Frank's.

'Oh Alice, behind you…' Peter moaned miserably, earning a 'shush' from Sirius.

'I have a gift for the two of you,' Voldemort said suddenly. Past-Alice yelped and Frank spun on the spot—the two of them froze, and James could only imagine he had looked the same as they did now when he had first laid eyes upon Lord Voldemort. Past-Alice's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. Past-Frank's eyes momentarily widened but then quickly narrowed, and James felt a surge of pride in his friend as Frank's wand seemed to suddenly appear in his hand. Alice quickly followed suit. Voldemort laughed softly. 'You have plans to fight me, do you?'

'I know who you are,' Frank said in a dangerous voice that James had never heard him use.

'Yes, I suppose you do,' said Voldemort. 'And I know who you are. But we have never been properly acquainted—we only know each other through an intermediary.' Frank and Alice said nothing, but they slowly backed up as Voldemort slowly advanced upon them. James and the others followed the scene slowly. 'I have lately been made to realize that some of the things that I need done require a more…personal touch,' Voldemort said. 'Leaving your recruitment in the hands of someone as unstable as Rochefort was an error, I admit.'

'An error,' Frank said blankly. 'You're calling the murder of my entire family an error?'

'Oh, of course not,' Voldemort said lightly. 'You see, there were two errors—failing to recruit you was the first one. But the second was allowing anyone at all to leave alive. Both of which are mistakes that can possibly be remedied tonight. Which one of them it is, I shall leave up to you.'

Past-Alice steeled herself. 'So you're asking us to join you, is that it?' she said hotly.

James peered at Voldemort's face and saw that same mirthless smile that had inhabited it on the night he and Lily had flown for their lives. 'Lord Voldemort does not make requests,' he said. 'To defy me is to die.'

'That's not true, though, is it?' Frank said in a strong voice. 'You've been defied before.'

Voldemort's mirthless smile vanished. It was evident that Frank had just struck a deep chord. 'More mistakes that will be remedied.'

'But that was a personal mistake, wasn't it?' Past-Alice chimed in. 'You can't pass that one off on Rochefort, can you? James Potter and Lily Evans defied you and lived to tell the tale.'

Voldemort grimaced. 'It is only because they flew directly into the safety net cast by Albus Dumbledore! You two are not similarly protected—you are out here, alone. The sole protector assigned to you is dead and you shall shortly join him if you do not obey me _now,_' he said, his voice rising into a shout. 'I will start with the girl, Longbottom, don't think I won't!'

'ALICE!' Frank shouted suddenly. James felt his heart leap into his chest—much like he had, Frank's mind had apparently been working at top speed on a plan, and it came to now. He shoved Alice aside and she rolled with it, the instincts of a Seeker taking over. She dove behind a tree, narrowly missing a flash of green light that had been sent her way. 'Reducto!' Frank bellowed. The curse came straight at James' face and suddenly went straight through his head. James turned to see Voldemort step nimbly aside to avoid the spell. 'Reducto! Expelliarmus! Stupefy!' Frank hollered, and James turned to see him running backwards along the path, casting spells as he did.

'This way,' present-Alice muttered as Voldemort moved after Frank. The group followed until they found past-Alice sprinting through the trees. 'Try to keep up,' present-Alice said and they all ran behind past-Alice, who was swearing impressively under her breath as she did so.

'You cannot escape!' they heard Voldemort call. 'Face me like a man, Longbottom! A proper duel, Dumbledore would appreciate it! I want to see your face when I extinguish your life forever.'

Past-Alice burst through the trees directly behind Voldemort. 'Impedimenta!' she shouted.

Voldemort turned and barely blocked the spell, but he was not so fortunate as to avoid the quick succession of spells Frank sent at his back. Voldemort shouted in pain as one managed to soar under his arm and strike him in the chest. Frank sprinted forwards, trying to rush Voldemort—and James had the suspicion that Frank had memorized his own story, that he was trying to keep Voldemort on the defensive, but Voldemort recovered faster than James could possibly have imagined. He lashed out, kicking Frank in the face and sending him crashing to the ground.

Alice raised her wand, but Voldemort was quicker, flicking his wand and sending her flying through the air so she landed next to Frank. They heard a sickening crack that sounded like a cannon shot, and James knew her leg had just broken. Alice cried out in agony as she clutched her leg, and Frank quickly rolled to her side, keeping his eyes and his wand pointed at Voldemort who laughed.

'Impressive,' he panted, rubbing at his chest. 'You would have made a powerful ally, Longbottom,' he said. 'But the fight is over.'

'The fight will be over when I'm dead,' Frank said defiantly. 'I'll never join you.'

Voldemort smiled coldly. 'Very well. If that is your wish…' and he began to slowly raise his wand.

'Close your eyes, Alice,' Frank said suddenly, gripping her arm and with a loud crack, they apparated. James had a fleeting look at the surprise on Voldemort's face, and a flash of green light soared out, but they were suddenly gone, rolling through the darkness before they landed on the street outside of James' house.

'Frank! FRANK!' Past-Alice was shouting as they looked down at Frank. The injuries were terrible to look at—large chunks were missing from both of his arms and legs, his abdomen and his face. He was still conscious and wheezing terribly.

'Alice…I…I…I…' he was panting.

'Shh, don't talk,' Alice was saying. 'SOMEBODY HELP!' she shouted.

Engelland was suddenly there. 'What's happened?' he said.

'That's enough, I think,' came a voice from behind them. They turned to see Albus Dumbledore standing there. He grabbed Alice's shoulder and suddenly they were all flying up through the night sky until they landed back on the ground in the hospital room.

James said nothing for a moment, but he quickly looked at the others. Peter had turned a very poor shade of green. 'Bathroom,' he muttered and he sprinted from the room. Remus sighed and slowly followed after him. Sirius was staring blankly at a wall, looking rather pale. Finally, James looked at Alice, whose face was buried in her hands as she sat on the edge of the bed.

'Alice,' Dumbledore said gently.

'I should have done more,' she moaned.

'Do not be foolish,' Dumbledore said.

'He nearly died,' she said, her voice breaking into sobs.

James stepped back as Dumbledore kneeled down in front of Alice gingerly. 'Ms. Dearborn—Frank is going to be fine. Better than fine, he will make an absolutely full recovery,' he said with an encouraging smile. 'He should be conscious within a few hours. You two showed immense, immense bravery and you defied Lord Voldemort…something only two others had ever done before you,' he said.

Alice sniffled and looked up at him. 'But if I'd been better—if I'd been stronger—' she said.

'It was your counter attack that allowed Frank to momentarily stun him,' Dumbledore said firmly. 'Yes, I was there for that part,' he said kindly. 'If that doesn't happen, maybe Voldemort does simply kill him and then hunt you down to do the same.'

Alice took that in and sighed. 'Maybe you're right,' she muttered.

'Of course I'm right,' Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. 'I did not mean to intrude upon your memories, Ms. Dearborn, but you have some visitors who are rather insistent upon seeing you. I felt it was only manners to ask your permission.'

'My parents?' Alice asked.

'They're here, as are some of your friends,' Dumbledore said.

'We'll step outside,' James said.

'Potter!' Alice said suddenly, grabbing his arm as he went to go. 'You check on Frank for me, you understand? I want you to get into that room and see with your own eyes that he's going to be fine.'

James nodded. 'I will.'

'Promise me, Potter. You will get in to see him,' Alice said forcefully.

James smiled. 'I promise. Nothing will stop me,' he said.

They exited the room quietly. Alice's parents rushed past and then James spotted three girls waiting in their winter coats—Marlene McKinnon, Mary McDonald and Lily Evans.

'So it's true?' Lily whispered as Marlene rushed over to give Sirius a hug and Mary snuck into Alice's room behind her parents.

'What have you heard?' James asked.

Lily looked around. 'That Voldemort attacked Alice and Frank,' she whispered.

James nodded and Lily gasped. 'Yeah, it's true. How did you hear?'

'Alastor Moody came and collected me,' Lily said. 'He said Professor Dumbledore had ordered that I be brought here and kept under watch. They wanted to bring my family, but of course Petunia said no…so they're at a safe house.'

James frowned. 'So why did they collect you?'

'Apparently Dumbledore figures that Voldemort is trying to deal with some loose ends. Frank was one of them, and you and I are the other obvious choices.'

James sighed. 'Walk with me,' he said as he started down the hall. 'I have to go see Frank and report back to Alice.'

Lily nodded. 'How did you get mixed up in all of this?' she asked.

'I'm not really sure…if I had to guess? Frank and I exchanged addresses for Christmas cards,' he said. 'They got away from Voldemort because Frank apparated.'

Lily's jaw dropped. 'That's seriously advanced!'

'And I think it was his first time really trying, especially bringing along a second person,' James said softly. 'He splinched himself something awful.'

'But Alice is okay?' Lily asked.

'If I had to guess again…Frank probably put all of his focus on keeping her from being hurt and didn't concentrate too hard on himself,' James said.

Lily looked like she was about to burst into tears. 'Those two,' she said in an unsteady voice. 'So they came to your house?'

James nodded. 'Everyone knows half the Ministry is guarding my house…he probably felt it was the safest place they could go.' He stopped and looked at Lily. 'I'm glad you're here, Evans,' he said.

Lily smiled faintly. 'Me too,' she said. She blinked and seemed to steel herself. 'So how are we going to get in to see Frank?'

James turned to see the door to Frank's room being guarded by a couple of Aurors. He then looked back at Lily and flashed his most confident smile. 'Come on, Evans, we've defied the Lord of all evil. I don't think a couple of Aurors are going to slow us down,' he said.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'For once, your overconfidence is actually inspiring.'

'You mean I'm growing on you?' James asked.

'Possibly,' Lily said. 'Not that I have any idea how you're managing it.'

James winked. 'It's a kind of magic,' he said. 'Now let's go see Frank.'


	24. Discussions and Desperation

24

'They look pretty severe,' Lily observed as they casually approached the end of the hall. She wasn't wrong—James doubted whether the Ministry had two more intimidating looking Aurors on their payroll. The one on the left bore a striking resemblance to a large tree trunk, with arms the size of branches from the whomping willow. The one on the right was considerably shorter, but had a face that looked so profoundly mean, James wondered if his mother had held him enough as a child.

'I think I have an idea,' James said. 'I'll need a distraction.'

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'What's going through your head now?' she asked.

James smirked. 'That's for me to know.'

'And me to find out?' Lily asked.

'Some other time,' James said. 'So—Evans. A distraction please.' He stepped around the corner of the corridor as Lily sighed, furrowing her brow and then jogging over to the Aurors. She gesticulated to the end of the corridor. While she and the Aurors were otherwise engaged, James reached into his sidepack and swiftly withdrew his invisibility cloak, draping it over himself. He was more than a little impressed when Lily managed to draw them to the edge of the corridor to peak around.

James wasted no time—he quickly moved down the corridor to the unguarded door. The Aurors were doing their job well—they scanned the corridor even as they looked at whatever it was Lily was distracting them with, but all they would see was the air. James silently slipped through the door and into Frank's room.

It was dark, and Winter was standing by his bedside taking his temperature. James silently shucked off his cloak and cleared his throat, causing Winter to jump. 'How did you get in here?' she asked incredulously.

'Sweet talked my way in,' James said confidently.

'You're not supposed to be here,' Winter said with a frown.

'Nonsense—this is James Potter,' came a voice from the other side of the room. James looked to see a rather stern looking witch sitting in the corner, and he guessed that this was Frank's mother.

'Either way, he's not supposed to be here,' Winter pressed.

'That depends on who you ask,' James replied. 'Alice Dearborn was pretty insistent that I get in to see Frank right away.'

Winter's eyebrows raised. 'Oh really? And her authority outstrips that of the Minister of Magic?'

James smiled as he stepped to the foot of the bed. 'When the Minister of Magic becomes as close a friend to me as Alice Dearborn is, then maybe this will be a discussion,' he said.

Mrs. Longbottom smiled warmly. 'Just as advertised. Frank has always said there was nothing you wouldn't do for a friend.'

Winter shook her head. 'How loyal of you,' she said with a sigh. 'Well—you can see for yourself, he's on the mend.' James nodded his agreement; Frank did look markedly better than the last time he had laid eyes on him, when great chunks were missing from various parts of him. 'He's in his fourth year at Hogwarts, correct?' Winter asked.

'Third,' James replied.

'How did he know how to Apparate?' Winter asked in surprise.

James shrugged. 'That's Frank. I think there's things he could teach to fully grown wizards,' he said.

Mrs. Longbottom looked down at her sleeping son with a look of immense pride. 'That's very true,' she said with a sigh. 'He's grown up too fast in some respects…but there is no denying that he is a remarkably talented young man. But I think this was his first real try at apparating.'

Winter nodded. 'The fact that Ms. Dearborn was unharmed is a miracle in and of itself,' she muttered. 'He should be regaining consciousness within a couple of hours, you can ask him questions then.'

'I don't know about that,' Frank suddenly mumbled, causing Winter to jump. His eyes fluttered open and James saw his hand reflexively twitch towards his side—James knew he was trying to find his wand.

'It's on the night table, Frank,' James said gently.

Frank's eyes rolled over lazily to the night table and he nodded very slightly. 'Alice?' he muttered.

'Completely fine,' James said. 'Her leg was broken from when—well—he flung her through the air,' James grimaced at the choice of words. 'But she's been mended up, and she's swamped with visitors.'

Frank smiled drunkenly. 'S'good,' he murmured. 'Hi Mum.'

'Hello, Frank,' said Mrs. Longbottom, leaning in to her son's line of sight. 'You're going to have to stop giving me such a fright one of these days.'

Frank chuckled, which turned into a wet cough. James was momentarily worried, but he recovered himself. 'You know me, I like to live on the edge,' he said. 'Now, I've got to see Alice,' he said and he began to sit up.

'Out of the question!' Winter said firmly, easing him back onto the bed.

'It might be easier if she came here,' James suggested.

Frank didn't look too pleased at being restrained, but he caught his mother's stern gaze and wilted somewhat. 'Alright,' he muttered. 'When she's ready—I don't want you to trouble her—' he said sleepily.

'Maybe you should get some rest,' Mrs. Longbottom suggested.

'Once I've seen her,' Frank said in a stronger voice. 'I need to see with my own eyes that she's alright.'

James shook his head. 'You two,' he muttered. 'You have no idea how alike you are.'

Frank looked quizzically at James, and Mrs. Longbottom smiled. 'Why don't you run along and see if she can come any time soon?' she asked.

'Let me escort you out, or our lovely guards might have a fit,' Winter said dryly. She opened the door and the two guards moved aside and then caught sight of James—the tree trunk's jaw dropped while the mean-looking-one suddenly looked as if he had a bad intestinal problem.

'I let him in earlier,' Winter said.

'You—' began the tree trunk in a very loud voice.

'—have authority in St. Mungo's bestowed upon me by the Minister for Magic,' Winter said casually. 'You can take it up with her.'

The two Aurors looked mutinous as James made his way down the hall. He rounded the corner and saw Lily engaged in heated conversation with someone. He realized with a pang of annoyance that it was Severus Snape. Snape was looking particularly agitated, and it looked as if Lily was trying to calm him done—something that became impossible when Snape's eyes found James.

'YOU!' he snarled and his wand appeared in his hand as he stormed towards James.

'Me?' James asked, backing up a step as he drew his own wand.

'Stop it! Stop it now, Sev!' Lily shouted, getting between the two of them. Snape was trying to peer around Lily at James. 'Sev, please!' Lily was saying.

'Is this what you want?' Snape snapped. 'You're going to get Lily killed!'

'Sev—' Lily tried again.

'What the hell are you talking about?' James asked. 'I had nothing to do with this—neither did she! Frank and Alice were attacked tonight you blithering idiot!'

'Potter, you're not helping!' Lily hissed as she tried to block Snape from pointing his wand at James.

'You're simply little boy! You have no idea what's at stake, no idea what's afoot—you have put a bullseyes on yours and Lily's foreheads!' Snape was now shouting. Doors were opening down the hallway and heads were poking out.

'Maybe it doesn't scare us like it does you because you're a coward?' James taunted.

'Potter—' Lily began, but a loud 'BANG' sounded and James suddenly found himself flying backwards onto the ground, skidding along the slick floor as if he had been struck by a heavy object. Snape had managed to get his wand under Lily's arm and struck James with a curse. 'SEVERUS!' Lily bellowed.

James heard the fast-approaching footfalls of the Aurors who had been guarding Frank's door. He quickly gathered his sense and got to his feet, pointing his wand directly at Snape's face, he non-verbally cast the Conjunctivitus curse, catching Snape in the eyes which caused him to drop back onto the floor.

Snape was blindly pointing his wand now, but it suddenly flew from his hand, as did James'. James turned to see the Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold, standing there as she caught both wands deftly in her hand. She was flanked by Albus Dumbledore and Bartemius Crouch. 'Just what do you think you are doing?' Bagnold asked in a voice of deadly calm.

'We—were having a discussion,' James said meekly.

'A discussion,' Bagnold echoed. 'Finite,' she murmured, and Snape was able to see once more. He got to his feet, tears streaming down his face as he glared at James. Lily looked none to pleased either. James sighed inwardly. 'I would suggest that in the future, you restrict your discussions to a location that is not filled with sick and injured people. Do I make myself clear?' Bagnold said firmly.

'Yes, Madam,' James and Snape both said stiffly.

Dumbledore regarded James, Snape and Lily carefully over the top of his spectacles as Bagnold and Crouch moved on down the hallway. 'Ms. Evans?' he asked. 'Are you alright?' Lily cast angry glares at both Snape and James. She gave a little jerk of her head and stormed off down the corridor. Dumbledore sighed as he stepped between James and Snape. 'The two of you would do well to realize that you are not the only individuals who care for Lily Evans,' he said softly. 'And believe me when I say that perpetuating this quarrel of yours serves only to hurt her further.'

'Sorry,' James muttered. Snape said nothing.

'Severus, are your parents aware that you are here?' Dumbledore asked.

Snape shook his head stiffly. 'No,' he said between tight lips.

Dumbledore gestured for him to walk. 'Then we must go and let them know. It is only the responsible thing to do,' he said. Together, the two walked off down the corridor, leaving James standing alone. He breathed heavily for a moment, taking in what Dumbledore had said. He then sighed and made his way back towards Alice's room.

The area outside of it was packed. Sirius, Remus, Peter, Marlene and Mary were sitting outside the door talking idly.

'Have any luck?' Remus asked.

Sirius frowned. 'What's the matter?'

'Snape's here,' James muttered. 'We had a—a little tiff.'

Marlene wrinkled her nose. 'Severus Snape? What does he want? He's not friends with Alice or Frank.'

'I bet it's because of Lily,' Mary chimed in.

'Winner, right there,' James said as he leaned heavily against the wall. 'We traded curses and got broken up by the Minister of Magic.'

Sirius whistled. 'You certainly know how to impress the right people,' he said sarcastically.

'Why, James?' Remus muttered. 'Why did you let yourself get sucked in?'

James exhaled angrily. 'Don't start with me, Moony,' he said. 'Lily's already mad at me as it is, and it's not like I went looking for a fight!'

'But you didn't back away from it, either,' Remus pointed out.

'No, because I'm not a coward!' James said hotly.

'Let's just calm down,' Peter said worriedly. 'Deep breaths, everyone—calm down. We're all a little on edge.'

Mary pursed her lips as she stared at James. 'Why does Lily get so mad about you and Snape fighting?' she asked.

James threw up his hands. 'She's friends with him and doesn't like it when I hex him,' he said irritably.

'That can't be all of it,' Mary said.

'Sure it can,' Sirius said with a frown.

Mary shook her head. 'She's more complicated than that,' she said. 'Trust me. There's always more to the story.'

'I keep hearing that word, 'complicated',' James said. 'Why can't things just be easy?'

Mary smirked. 'Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight, James,' she said. James wasn't sure why, but the way a girl said his first name gave him an odd feeling. He was used to everyone of the female persuasion referring to him as 'Potter'.

'Just let her cool down, we're all running on very little sleep,' Sirius said bracingly.

Marlene nodded. 'She'll get her wits back about her.'

Remus rolled his eyes. 'Am I the only one who thinks that the best way to get things to cool down is to simply stop fighting with Snape? Anyone?'

No one said anything.

'Well, clearly, I am,' Remus muttered and he went back to staring out the window. James looked at the door to Alice's room. 'Crouch is talking with her,' Remus supplied. 'Her parents insisted on staying in there. Your Dad's there, too.'

'But he's retired,' James said.

'Crouch wanted a word,' Remus said.

'Oh, I'm sure that means good things for me,' James sighed. 'You lot can probably go back to the house, if you want. I'm sure Mum's working on turning Christmas breakfast into Christmas lunch,' he said.

'To hell with that, we're staying here,' Sirius said to nods from the others.

The door opened to Alice's room. Bartemius Crouch and Mr. Potter emerged; Mr. Potter looked uneasy, but Crouch looked as he always did. 'Mr. Potter, I would like a word,' Crouch said, looking at James. 'With Ms. Evans, as well.'

'Not sure where Evans is,' James said. 'And I have to deliver a message to Alice before I do anything.'

'It can wait,' Crouch said dismissively.

James folded his arms. 'No, it can't,' he said.

Crouch raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak, but Mr. Potter put a hand on his shoulder. 'Let him through,' he said firmly. Crouch looked as though he wanted to argue, but he moved aside, allowing James back into the room where Alice was with her parents.

'How is he?' Alice asked urgently, sitting up in her bed.

'He's fine,' James said. 'He even woke up—ahead of schedule, as usual,' he said with a grin. 'When you're able, they'd like you to go and visit.'

Alice sprang out of bed. 'Hey!' her father said.

'Don't try to stop me,' she warned. 'You can come with, if you like.'

Her mother sighed, shaking her head. 'So stubborn,' she muttered. 'Thank you for getting them here safely,' she said with a look at James.

'I didn't really have anything to do with it,' James said.

'Nonsense,' Alice said as she put some slippers on. 'If we hadn't arrived at your place, who knows what could have happened. I'll talk to you soon,' she said and she barreled out the door, her parents in tow. Crouch and Mr. Potter entered quietly after they had gone.

'Is now a good time?' Crouch asked in a mildly sarcastic tone.

James sighed and looked at his father. 'What is it?' he said.

'We had the chance to view Alice's memory,' Mr. Potter said. 'It provides some alarming details, to say the least.'

'You mean the attack?' James asked.

'No,' Crouch said. 'The dialogue. Voldemort appears to be losing faith in one of his more devoted servants,' he said. 'Gilles Rochefort has been his right hand for the last few years. Voldemort voiced displeasure with him, and this could cause all kinds of problems.'

'How so?' James asked. 'Wouldn't Voldemort getting rid of Rochefort for us be a good thing?'

'Not quite,' Mr. Potter said. 'There's the first angle to consider, that there will be something of a competition to take his place as Voldemort's go-to man. That could cause something of a spree of violence.'

'Oh,' James said.

'There's also the slightly more personal issue of what this will do to Rochefort—making him desperate, searching for a way to re-establish himself in Voldemort's esteem. Tying up loose ends as it were.'

'Oh…' James said, realization dawning on him.

'Killing you is no longer just a personal obsession for Rochefort,' Crouch said. 'It is now his absolute, singular goal. His life could well depend on it.'


	25. Similarities and Confidence

25

James backed away, his wand held aloft in front of him. Rochefort's wand was held at his side, but James held out little hope that it would stay there. 'In a way, I ought to say thank you,' Rochefort said in that dreadfully silky voice. 'I marveled at your little fireworks display at the school yesterday. The Dark Lord loved the idea. The mark hanging over this train was inspired by you, Potter. Do you feel proud?'

Rochefort's face then mutated, turning into a horrible skull with a snake trailing out of its mouth as James suddenly found himself staring at the Dark Mark—

He awoke with a start. Panting, he took a few moments to take in his surroundings. He was back in his four poster at Hogwarts, and his alarm clock informed him it was 3:00AM in the morning. They had returned to the school fairly shortly after their visit at St. Mungo's. Albus Dumbledore and Millicent Bagnold had agreed that at this point and time, the safest place for the youth of the wizarding community was Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had been a bit disappointing to cut the winter holidays short, but there hadn't really been any negotiating with his parents, who had insisted that he go immediately via the Floo Network.

James hadn't missed the nightmares. For a few blissful days over the winter holidays, he had forgotten about them. He had slept soundly. Sharing a house with his best friends had been a great way to take his mind off things. But then the attack on Frank and Alice had sent everything tumbling into a spiral of chaos once again.

Their return to the school a few days earlier had been somewhat amusing. Arriving in the Headmaster's office, they found Professor McGonagall waiting for them. 'Welcome back,' she had said crisply. 'I was rather hoping a bit more time would have passed before we were all together again.'

'Nice to see you too, Professor,' Sirius had quipped.

McGonagall had looked at him coldly. 'I was referring to the nature of your return, Mr. Black, not a desire to see less of you. Although I am beginning to re-think the second part,' she had said to general amusement from the group.

'Where's Severus?' Remus had asked Lily as they began to head back to their dormitories. Lily had looked uncomfortable; she had re-joined the group to return to Hogwarts, with the rest of her family heading to North America to lay low for a bit. Snape had disappeared at the hospital.

'With his father,' she said. 'He wasn't too happy Sev snuck off to the hospital. He can be—temperamental,' she said carefully.

Sirius had snorted. 'That explains a great deal,' he mumbled to more general amusement.

But slowly, the amusement had died away. The school was very slowly re-populating with students being sent back early by their parents to keep them safe. Classes were not due to start for a few more days, so there was not much to do other than lounge around common rooms. James was not entirely sure he liked this, as it left him far too much time to think. And the dreams had started again.

He sighed and stepped out of bed and sliding silently out of the dormitory. He made his way down to the fireplace and sat down, staring into the crackling embers. It had been out of that fireplace that Rochefort had first informed James that he was at the top of his list, that he was going to find him and kill him. It had filled James with dread—not at the thought that an exceptionally powerful Dark Wizard was out to murder him specifically, but at the risk he would be bringing upon his friends and family.

'Just like old times,' came a voice behind him and he turned to see Lily Evans walking up, a book in her hand as she sat down. Her long red hair was tied back in a ponytail and she was wearing fluffy pyjamas with—James suppressed a smile—Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer emblazoned upon them. 'What's got you awake tonight?'

'The usual,' James replied.

'Dreams?' Lily asked.

James nodded. 'Look, Evans,' he said suddenly. 'I'm sorry. About the fight with Sn—Sev,' he corrected himself quickly.

Lily held up a hand. 'In the spirit of Christmas, I'm just going to forget that happened,' she said stiffly. 'For both of you. I won't be so forgiving next time, though,' she said with a small smirk.

James chuckled. 'Fair enough,' he said. He stared at the fire for a moment. 'Evans, do you think he's right?'

'Who's right?'

'Snape,' James said.

Lily frowned. 'About what?'

James pursed his lips. 'About me being—well, dangerous. Maybe getting you killed.'

Lily sighed. 'How much detail do you want me to go into, here?'

'I've got time,' James said sarcastically and Lily laughed.

'Sev isn't like us,' she said slowly. 'And don't interrupt with any smart-alec answers, Potter. He's…shrewd. He thinks that the best way to emerge from a conflict unscathed is to never reveal your true intentions to anyone. So when you have someone like you, who openly, proudly—and correctly—declares that he is against evil like Voldemort and Rochefort, it flies directly in the face of everything he believes. Are you with me so far?'

'Yes…' James nodded, spotting holes in the argument but allowing her to continue.

'He wants me to be safe,' Lily said. 'He thinks conflict is coming and he isn't sure what side is going to be stronger. So he thinks that if I become too friendly with you, that I could be adding myself to certain peoples' lists.'

James found himself unable to disagree with the last point.

'But your question was different,' Lily said. 'You asked do I think he's right? And I can't say I fully do. There are some things that need to be opposed, there are some people that need to be defied, and there are some rights that need to be wronged,' she said firmly. 'In short, yes, there are some things worth dying in the name of.'

'I bet Snape loves hearing you say that,' James muttered.

Lily smiled faintly. 'To say he's not a fan would be an understatement,' she said. 'I do understand where he is coming from—but it's not a philosophy I can ascribe to. I think that angers him, but he finds it very difficult to be angry with me, so he allocates that anger to a more suitable source…do you see where I'm going with this?'

'You think he blames me because he's unable to blame you?' James asked.

Lily nodded. 'Precisely.'

'But you don't agree with him?'

'No, I can't say I do,' Lily said.

'So you agree with me?' James asked.

Lily laughed again. 'Don't tell anyone,' she said sarcastically. 'Look, Potter, you have your faults. You're overconfident to the point of arrogance, and that can bring a certain amount of danger with it.'

'Want to know a secret?' James asked.

'All ears,' Lily said.

'I'm not sure how much of that is real,' James said in a quiet voice. Lily cocked her head at him. 'The confidence,' he muttered. 'I mean—it's what you said about Snape—concealing your true intentions from people, or your true feelings.'

Lily nodded. 'I've said before, you two are more alike than you realize,' she said.

James snorted. 'And I've said before, words hurt,' he said with a smirk. 'I just—try to be what everyone needs me to be.'

'You think everyone needs you to be overconfident and arrogant? Potentially ignorant to danger?'

James shrugged. 'It seems to work for some people.'

Lily pursed her lips. 'Perhaps,' she said. 'But that's also no reason to go around bullying people just because you can.'

'We're talking about Snape again,' James stated.

'We are,' Lily said.

James shrugged. 'I've tried not to go looking for fights with him this year, Evans, I really have,' he said. 'He doesn't make it easy. Like you said—any time something happens involving you, he blames me.'

'But you don't have to rise to it,' Lily said.

'You sound like Moony,' James replied.

'Well, that's good!' Lily implored. 'Remus is incredibly smart and insightful, and if he's telling you that you need to ease off, you should listen.'

'Maybe it would be helpful if you were incredibly smart and insightful to Snape?' James asked. 'I'm not being sarcastic—but Evans, it's really hard not to defend myself when he full on attacks me,' he said.

'Boys,' Lily muttered. 'Too stubborn to know when to back down.'

'I beg your pardon—who are we calling stubborn?' James asked in mock surprise. 'You might be the most stubborn person I know. It's been three years, you've acknowledged I'm a half decent guy, and you won't publicly acknowledge that we're friends!'

Lily snorted. 'We would have to be friends for me to acknowledge it.'

'So what are we then?' James asked with a smirk.

'Just be content with confidantes for the moment, how does that sound?' Lily said.

James sighed. 'I'd rather be friends.'

'Well, there's always tomorrow for your dreams to come true,' Lily said airily. James looked at her in confusion. 'It's from Rudolph. It's a song.'

'How does it go?' James asked.

Lily went slightly pink. 'I don't sing, Potter.'

'Neither do I, Evans, but you had me carrying on a few tunes—or did you forget about the Melodus Draught incident in first year?' James asked.

Lily laughed. 'I could never forget that. Humiliating you is a memory that brings me comfort on a rainy day,' she said with a wink.

'Wotcher, Evans, you're cruising for payback.'

Lily smirked. 'Are you feeling better?' she asked suddenly.

James nodded. 'Yeah,' he said. 'The dreams stopped over Christmas—being home, having Sirius, Remus and Peter there…it was great. How was your Christmas going?'

Lily smiled. 'It was alright. Like I said—Christmas is one of the only times of year where Petunia seems to forget that I'm a 'freak',' she said, holding up her hands to do quotations. 'We watched Christmas specials together.'

'Like Rudolph?' James asked.

'Like Rudolph,' Lily said with a sigh.

'And how is the Rudolph I gave you doing?' James asked.

Lily had an odd look on her face for a moment. 'Just fine. He sits with all my other stuffed animals,' she said.

James had the sneaking suspicion that Lily was lying about something, but he did not press the point. At that point, a voice sounded from behind them. 'You know, I missed these,' Sirius said. Lily jumped and James rolled his eyes—Sirius was standing behind them, adorned in a bathrobe.

'Do you always sneak up on people?' Lily asked.

'Just you guys,' Sirius said loftily as he sat down. 'For two people who ostensibly hate each other, you sure spend a lot of time together.'

'We don't hate each other,' Lily said.

'Sorry—you hate James, James wants to marry you,' Sirius said with a wink. Lily rolled her eyes as James chuckled. 'So what's keeping you two awake on this fine morning?'

James shrugged. 'Just talking the night away.'

'So dreams again,' Sirius said.

'I tell you too much,' James mumbled as Lily laughed.

'Rochefort can bring it on. I think all of us together can take him,' he said, cracking his knuckles as he did so.

'I don't think Rochefort will just come up to me when we're all together in a group,' James pointed out.

Sirius shrugged. 'So we just stick to you like glue—then he'll have no choice. Problem solved.'

'How will we go to the bathroom?' James asked with a smirk.

Sirius waved a hand. 'We'll figure that out when we get to it,' he said and Lily laughed once again. 'Although Silly Lily here will have to learn how to use the boys' room.'

Lily's eyes narrowed. 'I thought I'd told you never to call me that again, or else,' she said threateningly.

'Yeah, I've decided I'd like to see the 'or else',' Sirius said with a grin.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'You get one freebie, Black,' she muttered.

'So when are you finally going to face reality and give my boy here a chance?' Sirius said off-handedly. Lily's jaw dropped momentarily and then shut.

'What—none of your—you—' she stammered.

'I have a hunch it'll be around the Quidditch Cup this year,' James said with a smirk. Lily glared at him.

'The way I hear it, you nearly lost our little bet at Christmas,' she said dangerously.

For one moment, both of their faces softened as they remembered just what had interrupted Frank and Alice from that first kiss together, but James recovered quickly. 'It's destined to happen, and I think I'm right about the when and where.'

'What are we talking about now?' Sirius asked, bewildered.

'Just a bet Evans and I have,' James grinned.

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'Don't go counting your chickens before they've hatched, Potter. Anyways—we should get some sleep. Good night, Potter. Black,' she added, sticking out her tongue as she left and went into the girls' dormitory.

'So what _were_you talking about just now?' Sirius asked.

James smiled. 'All I'll say is, it's never been so important to me that we win the Quidditch Cup,' he said.


	26. Noses and Curses

26

James touched down nimbly on the Quidditch Pitch and ran a hand over his sweaty face. Dorcas had put the team through the paces in their first practice following the Christmas break. School had resumed and talk was now beginning to turn to the final stretch drive for the Quidditch Cup. Gryffindor had two matches remaining against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw before the finalists for the House Cup would be determined. Slytherin was leading the way, having once again obliterated the smaller Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams on their way to handy victories. Much to Sirius' chagrin, Regulus Black had also proved himself a fairly capable seeker for the team.

Gryffindor was seeded second, and would not require a large margin of victory over either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff to win. Cresswell had made the mistake of pointing this out, prompting Dorcas to grill them with their hardest practice of the year. 'We absolutely cannot afford to be overconfident!' she had declared. 'Will beats skill when skill does not have enough will!'

'I'm regretting buying her that inspirational quotes book for Christmas,' Cresswell grunted as he rubbed his knee. He had taken a solid hit from a bludger sent forth by Fabian Prewett. They were ambling towards the dressing room slowly. 'She's been spewing them out at will ever since.'

James chuckled but was suddenly bumped from behind. Frank was sprinting past them with a hand over his mouth running to the dressing room. James frowned and jogged after him, quickly being overtaken by Alice as they arrived. Frank was being violently ill in a bathroom stall.

'Everything okay, Longbottom?' Cresswell asked worriedly as Alice tried to peer overtop of the stall.

'Fine,' Frank gasped. 'Just haven't felt right since—well, I haven't felt right. It's like I'm out of shape,' he gasped as he retched again.

Cresswell sighed. 'Well, Dorcas running as ragged probably didn't help.'

'It's fine,' Frank managed again.

'Can I get you anything?' Alice asked worriedly.

'Just water,' he moaned.

The door to the dressing room opened and the Prewetts came galumphing in, laughing loudly at some shared joke as Dorcas came behind them. 'Great practice, everyone. I was glad to see you all working so hard…' she trailed off as she met Cresswell's gaze. 'What's the matter?'

'Apart from the fact that you've made Longbottom lose his lunch? Nothing,' Cresswell smirked.

'What?' Dorcas asked sharply.

'I'm fine!' Frank's voice came from a stall.

Alice pursed her lips. 'He overdid it,' she said simply.

Dorcas looked flabbergasted but James waved an arm. 'It's alright, Captain. We all have some turkey legs to get rid of from the holidays,' he said dismissively. Dorcas still looked upset with herself for having not considered Frank's recovery, but at that moment, he opened the bathroom stall.

'It's fine,' he said, although he had a distinctly green hue. 'I needed to get back into shape at some point.'

Alice looked anxious. 'You're sure?' she asked.

Frank nodded and tried to smile. 'I just feel like I weigh ten pounds, that's all,' he muttered. 'I think I lost some muscle.'

'Well, we should get you some food and water,' Alice said. 'Come on—let's go to the dinner hall.' They left the room together, Frank with an arm over Alice's shoulders as they went.

'Ah young love,' Gideon said loftily as Fabian chuckled.

'Two peas in a pod,' Fabian added.

'I'm surprised it's taking this long. I had them finally locking lips at the end of last year,' Gideon said.

Dorcas nodded. 'I thought so too.'

'I've got a bet going it happens at Quidditch Cup this year,' James said.

'A bet? With who?' Fabian asked. 'I wouldn't mind getting a pool going.'

'Er,' James said. 'It's an exclusive bet—no other parties allowed.'

Dorcas smirked. 'I think I have an idea who its with,' she said with a slight raise of her eyebrows. 'A certain fiery tempered, equally fiery-haired Gryffindor third year?'

'You dog,' Gideon said with a grin.

'Dog isn't appropriate here—I think it means little James is taking the first steps towards manhood,' Fabian said. 'Which, according to certain worldly scriptures, means we have to cut off his foot. You hold him down while I get a saw,' he said with a wink.

James rolled his eyes. 'It's not like that,' he muttered.

Cresswell chuckled. 'You might be the only person that thinks so,' he said.

'She doesn't,' James replied.

Cresswell shrugged. 'Maybe she just doesn't know it yet. But I think you and Lily Evans are only just behind Frank and Alice in terms of getting a pool going.'

'It's true,' Gideon said. 'This little back and forth banter you have going seems like classic reverse psychology.'

'What do you know about psychology?' Fabian asked, thunderstruck.

Gideon shrugged. 'I don't know, Molly talks about it sometimes. Thinks Mum and Dad tried to use it on us but it backfired.'

'It would explain a lot,' Fabian said with a grin.

James chuckled. 'Anyways, that's my bet—Quidditch Cup for Frank and Alice,' he said.

'Well, if we're not allowed in the pool on that one, maybe we should start a pool on Potter and Evans?' Gideon said with a mischievous look. 'Who wants in?'

Cresswell and Dorcas both raised their hands and laughed as James shook his head. 'She's been pretty clear about this, you lot—the day she decides to kiss me, the Devil will be skating to work.'

Dorcas laughed. 'Give yourself some credit, Potter,' she said.

'Or worst case, just take the path of least resistance,' winked Cresswell. 'It only took six years for my charms to work on Dorcas.'

*

In the shrieking shack that night, there were a couple of 'eureka' moments, although they were quickly followed by dismay about how to correct things.

Sirius grew a short, hideous tail. It then took him the better part of an hour and a half to reverse what he had done.

'Can't you just suck it in?' James had cracked as Sirius, pouring with sweat and growing increasingly ill tempered, had glared at him. Upon finally having success, James was the next one to have an issue as two rather large bumps appeared on either side of his forehead.

Sirius bit his fist to prevent himself from laughing as James ogled himself in a mirror. 'Oh the jokes to make about you having horns, mate,' he said.

'Don't you dare,' James began.

Sirius grinned maliciously. 'You've been spending too much time with Lily. Hormones are starting to get out of control!'

James kicked a book across the room at Sirius who nimbly dodged it, laughing heartily as he did so. After another few hours of concentration, James managed to reverse the effect, although it left him feeling thoroughly exhausted.

'Come on, Peter,' Remus said encouragingly. 'You can do it!'

'But I can't,' panted Peter. He had been trying for the better part of an hour and had had no progress whatsoever. 'What did you guys think of when you did it?'

James shrugged. 'You're supposed to think of everything and nothing all at once,' he said. But it wasn't entirely true—his mind had wandered to the happy memory of giving Lily her gift at Hogsmeade station for Christmas when he had sprouted bumps on his head. 'Where did your mind go, Sirius?' he asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'Into everything and nothing, and then it wandered on to you lot.'

'Maybe it's got something to do with where your mind goes to when there's nothing occupying it?' James observed.

Remus flipped through the book. 'I don't see anything on that in here, but I suppose it could be possible,' he said. 'Come on, Peter—just try to clear your mind, be calm and at peace,' he said evenly.

Peter sighed and closed his eyes. James, Sirius and Remus went perfectly quite. James chewed his lip—he was beginning to feel bad for Peter, who had not made a lick of progress since they had first started trying to become Animagi.

The thoughts had barely crossed his mind when, before their eyes, Peter's nose grew outward by about three inches.

'AHH!' Sirius yelled, pointing at Peter's nose. Peter's eyes snapped open.

'What! What is it?' he asked, and then he went absurdly cross eyed as he noticed the large beak that now occupied his face. 'WHAT THE HELL!' he shouted as his hands flew up to feel it.

'Nice work, Peter!' James cried.

'Well done!' Remus said cheerfully.

'B—b—but this is dreadful! How do I fix it?' Peter asked in a panicked voice.

'Easy, mate, the same way we did,' James said. 'Just go back into your everything-and-nothing space and work on undoing it.'

Peter glared at him. 'How am I supposed to undo it if I'm thinking of everything and nothing at the same time?' he said angrily.

'We did it,' Sirius said with a shrug. 'Come on, now—we'll stay here with you until you manage it.'

Peter sighed. It took the better part of forty five minutes for his nose to shrink, but he was immeasurably pleased with himself when he managed it. 'I did it!' he said happily. 'I actually did something!'

'It's seriously impressive, all of you,' Remus said as they began to gather their things to go. He paused and looked at them. 'And it really means a lot, you know,' he said quietly. 'That you're trying to do this for me.'

Sirius chuckled. 'I think old Moony is going soft on us,' he said.

Remus went slightly pink. 'I'm trying to say thank you,' he said.

Sirius smiled. 'I know, I'm just busting on you, mate.' He clapped a hand onto Remus' shoulder. 'You'd do the same for us. You're our friend.'

'More than that, you're our brother,' James clarified. 'We're all in this with you, Moony. We don't want you to have to face any of this alone.'

Peter nodded enthusiastically. 'You're our friend and brother,' he said in a somewhat feeble repetition of what James and Sirius had said, but Remus smiled just as kindly at him.

'Thanks,' he said again. 'Really. Now, we should get back to the castle, it's almost one in the morning,' he observed.

They made their way through the tunnel out of the Shrieking Shack and adorned James' invisibility cloak quickly upon emerging. James pulled out the map and frowned. 'Hang on,' he said once they were outside the range of the Willow. 'Look who's out and about…'

The others crowded in to look at the map—Severus Snape was lurking around the entrance to the school.

'Think he's following us again?' Sirius asked angrily.

'It's the only explanation, isn't it?' Peter worried.

Remus sighed. 'Let's keep it calm, you lot—he can't see us, so we can just go right by him,' he said.

'Oh come on—let's hex him!' Sirius whined.

'That'd give us away,' Remus said sensibly. 'And we don't want him to have any clues as to how to catch us on future nights out.'

'Remus is right,' Peter agreed quickly.

'Cowards,' Sirius muttered as they made their way towards the Great Hall. Snape was indeed poking his head out from behind a pillar, peering around. It could not have been more plain that he was hoping to catch James and the others unawares.

'Wonder if we could lock the door from the inside?' James said cheerfully.

Sirius beamed. 'A man after my own heart,' he said.

'He could freeze,' Remus pointed out.

'You're getting my hopes up,' Sirius retorted as they got inside the school. Sirius quickly ducked out from underneath the cloak and drew a bolt shut on the door. He re-joined them. 'There. If he bangs and crashes enough that bolt will probably fall off, but we'll wake half the castle,' he said with a grin.

Remus sighed, but the corner of his mouth twitched. They made their way up through the castle together when new sounds greeted their ears. 'Where's that coming from?' Peter asked, worry in his voice.

James frowned and pulled out the map again. 'Hang on,' he muttered. 'Alright, we're at the base of Gryffindor tower…'

'Right there,' Sirius pointed. 'Next level up—that's Mulciber and Avery,' he said.

'And a third,' Remus said.

James squinted—the ink blots were too close together, but then they spread out enough to reveal the third name: Mary McDonald. James' ears suddenly seemed to snap to and realize what they were hearing. A deep voice laughing and what sounded like a very panicked female voice.

'Move,' James said, quickly shucking the cloak off the four of them. They all drew their wands and pelted up the staircase as quickly as they could. James was in the lead, rounding a corner and sprinting down the hallway. Sirius was right behind him, Remus was next and Peter brought up the rear. The hallway bended and they came around to a disturbing sight—Avery was standing and laughing as Mulciber was standing offensively close to Mary, his wand pressed into her face and his other hand moving down her side.

James didn't hesitate. 'Expelliarmus!' he said firmly and Mulciber's wand flew from his hand. Avery whipped around, slashing his wand quicker than James could have thought. He dove aside as the concrete he had been standing on chipped and splintered, sending powdered asphalt into the air.

'Impedimenta!' Sirius shouted, but Avery was quick once again with a shield charm. Mulciber had scrambled across the floor and retrieved his wand, which he now picked up, but Remus was upon him.

'Petrificus totalus,' Remus said firmly and Mulciber went stiff as a board, keeling over and falling on his face. Sirius dodged another quick curse sent forward by Avery and then quickly cast a non-verbal stunning spell. Avery reacted at the last second, deflecting it to the side, before James sent one of his own, catching Avery square in the face and sending him crashing to the ground.

'Everyone alright?' Remus was calling. He had planted himself between Mary and the melee and he now turned to face her. 'Mary?' he said in a calm voice. 'Mary, are you alright?'

'Feel free to step in _any__time_,' Sirius was berating Peter who had failed to move during the melee.

'I—I didn't want to hit any of you—' Peter stammered. Sirius exhaled angrily and turned away from him as he marched over to where Remus and Mary were.

'Here, have this chocolate, it will help,' Remus said in a light tone. Mary tried to take it but fumbled it in her fingers.

James frowned. 'Looks like she's been confunded,' he said.

Sirius squinted. 'I don't know, it looks like it might be more than that to me,' he muttered. 'Her eyes are kind of glazed.'

'Can you understand me?' Remus said again. Mary nodded jerkily. 'We're here to help. You're safe now. We're going to take you to the hospital wing.'

A light shone from the end of the tunnel. James leapt to his feet, his wand drawn. Sirius followed suit and Peter jumped in front of them, presumably to try and cast a spell first to make up for not doing so before—but it quickly became apparent that they would not need to cast spells.

'What is going on here?' Professor McGonagall's voice rang out sharply. 'Wands drawn—have you been dueling?' her voice shot up an octave.

'Professor, we just happened across these two attacking Mary McDonald,' James said quickly. 'And—she's out of sorts, something's wrong with her.'

McGonagall observed the unconscious form of Avery and the petrified form of Mulciber as she came over quickly to their sides. She looked down at Mary. 'Ms. McDonald? Can you stand up?'

Mary shook her head jerkily.

'Very well. Mr. Lupin, help me at once. You three,' she said, pointing to James, Sirius and Peter. 'Go to the Headmaster's office. I will alert him that you will be explaining yourselves,' she said. She and Remus hefted Mary to her feet and moved quickly down the corridor. McGonagall gave a swift wave of her wand, causing Mulciber and Avery to lift into the air and float after her.

Sirius shoved his wand into his robes. 'Come on, we'd better go,' he sighed.

'How come Remus gets out of this?' Peter asked.

'We're not going to get in trouble,' James said firmly. 'How can we? We just found two students attacking a girl! We defended her!'

Sirius nodded. 'We're in the right on this,' he said strongly. But it was in nervous silence that they walked together up to Dumbledore's office. It wasn't until they arrived at the Gargoyle guarding the stairs that they realized they didn't know the password.

'So do we just wait?' Peter asked.

'Chocolate frog,' came Dumbledore's voice. The gargoyle sprang aside and the three of them turned to see Dumbledore walking up behind them. He was wearing a midnight blue robe which was drawn up at the front, but James could see purple-starred slippers underneath it. Dumbledore was not alone—walking behind him was Severus Snape. 'An eventful night, it would seem. I just found this young man locked outside,' he said, his eyes glinting as he looked at James. 'Well, come on up.'

They went into his office together. Dumbledore flicked his wand and several large, comfy chairs appeared in front of his desk. 'Sit, please,' he said, and they obeyed. Dumbledore stood for a moment before rounding his desk and sitting down. He interlaced his fingers and took it in turns peering at each of them. 'Severus,' he said finally. 'Seeming as you were in a different location, let us hear your reasons for being out after curfew first.' Dumbledore settled back in as if he was about to watch a movie at the cinema.

Snape blinked. 'I thought I heard a noise.'

'A noise,' Dumbledore repeated. 'From all the way down in the dungeons?'

'Yes,' Snape said flatly.

Dumbledore and Snape stared at each other for a moment. 'And how was it that you came to be locked outside?'

'I don't know,' Snape said, although his eyes flicked to James and his lip curled.

'Well, Severus. Being out after curfew is against school rules. I shall leave your punishment in the hands of Professor Slughorn. He will meet you at the base of the stairs to return you to your common room.'

Snape stood stiffly and left. Dumbledore turned his gaze to the other three and sighed deeply. 'Now then,' he said. 'We have three students—four, including Mr. Lupin—who seem to possess the uncanny ability of being in the wrong place at the right time.'

'Sir—' James began.

'You are not in trouble,' Dumbledore said. 'It has been relatively easy for us to establish what happened to Ms. McDonald and who did it to her. Ten points will be awarded to Gryffindor for each of you in your involvement. I would lobby for more, but I had to acquiesce something in my negotiations with Professor McGonagall,' he said with a slight twitch of his mouth.

'Negotiation?' Sirius asked.

'Less points, for the tradeoff of us not asking what you were doing out after curfew,' Dumbledore said cheerfully. 'But there is one question I must ask.'

'Okay,' James said.

Dumbledore looked at them evenly. 'Did any of you three see what spell Mr. Mulciber cast upon Ms. McDonald?' James, Sirius and Peter all shook their heads. Dumbledore nodded slightly. 'Very well. Professor McGonagall will collect you at the base of the stairs.'

'Why do you ask, sir?' Peter asked anxiously.

Dumbledore smiled. 'Out of curiosity,' he said. 'Good night, gentlemen.'

The three of them followed Professor McGonagall back to the common room where they met Remus, who was waiting by the fire. Also standing there was Lily, who looked profoundly worried. 'Is there anything new?' Remus asked urgently.

James shook his head. 'How was she when you saw her?' he asked.

'They brought Madam Bones in to have a look, and they asked me if I saw what spell they had cast upon her.'

'I thought they could just use Priori Incantem…' Lily said.

Remus nodded. 'They did. But Mulciber had wiped his wand somehow.'

James raised his eyebrows. 'Is that possible?'

'It's supposed to be nearly impossible, and Mulciber doesn't strike me as the type who could pull it off,' Lily muttered angrily.

'I think I know what this means,' Sirius said suddenly. 'Wanting to know what spell was used on her? Mulciber wiping his wand? Getting Madam Bones to take a look at her when Madam Pomfrey should be more than able?'

'What are you saying?' Peter whispered.

James and Sirius said the words together: 'She was Imperiused.'


	27. Rumors and Tomorrows

27

The next morning at breakfast, the school was quietly buzzing. James was unsure of how word of the incident had spread so fast, but the school version was that Mulciber had used some form of dark magic to confuse Mary. The speculation was that he had intended to take advantage of her—something that James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were now being regarded as something akin to heroes for preventing from occurring.

This also had the inverse effect of polarizing the houses even more—the Slytherins appeared to be rallying around Mulciber and Avery, who had declared their innocence and called it a harmless prank that had been misunderstood. The Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor houses, however, were not so quick to accept this explanation.

'I've got half a mind to go over there and turn his head into a bowling ball,' Gideon Prewett was muttering as they ate breakfast together.

Fabian nodded. 'When we meet in the Quidditch Cup. I say we build up a nice lead and them smack our bludgers at him for a few hours.'

Dorcas sighed. 'I just don't understand,' she muttered. 'What could he possibly have been hoping to achieve? It's a damn good thing you were all there,' she said, although she said it with a frown. 'What were you doing out past curfew, anyway?'

'Sirius was hungry,' James liked quickly.

Dorcas laughed. 'You've got such an appetite for desserts, Black—you'd better be careful, one day it'll catch up to you. Look at Slughorn.'

Sirius snorted. 'Black family metabolism is one of the few things I'm grateful I've inherited. I'm fairly certain it comes from generations of my family trying to eat their young,' he muttered. Remus found this so amusing that he inadvertently snorted half the contents of his pumpkin juice flagon into his nose.

'Is there any update on Mary?' Peter asked.

James shook his head. 'Evans and Marlene went to go see her first thing. I imagine they'll fill us in once they're back.'

Sirius swallowed another mouthful of hashbrowns. 'Brings up an interesting question, I think,' he said. 'What exactly was old Snivelly's involvement in this whole thing?'

'What do you mean?' coughed Remus, who was still trying to clean out his nose.

'Well, he wasn't exactly far away from them, was he?' Sirius pressed.

'I thought he was trying to get us in trouble?' Peter asked.

Sirius raised his eyebrows conspiratorially. 'Maybe,' he said. 'Or maybe he was playing lookout for Mulciber and Avery.'

'That'd be a pretty serious accusation,' Dorcas said.

Fabian looked thoughtful. 'Little old Snape isn't exactly an angel, though. I could see that working out. Why did he say he was out after curfew?'

'Said he'd heard a noise,' James muttered.

'A likely story,' Gideon sighed. 'And Dumbledore took that at face value?'

James shrugged. 'What evidence was there to the contrary?'

'Oh well. He'll get his, too,' Fabian said, evidently satisfied with the mental image forming in his head. James guessed it involved flattening him during the Quidditch Cup. Or perhaps it had something to do with their impending prank.

'Oi, Remus,' James said. 'How's our extra ciriccular assignment going?'

Remus went slightly red at the ears. 'Fine,' he said. 'Should be ready in a few more weeks.'

Sirius grinned. 'I hope—er—ol' Sluggie likes it,' he said.

'Old Sluggie?' Peter asked. 'I thought it was for—' he began, but Sirius quickly cuffed him across the back of the head. 'Right,' Peter winced. 'For Old Sluggie. I forgot.'

James chuckled and cast his gaze over to the door. No sooner had he done that then it opened to admit Lily and Marlene, who walked over to the Gryffindor table quickly. The hall became a bit more quiet as they did so; people seemed to expect they'd bring news.

'How is she?' Remus asked as they sat down.

'No lasting damage,' Marlene said angrily. 'But there will be to Mulciber, once I get through with him—'

'Calm down,' Lily said evenly.

'Calm down?' Marlene whispered shrilly. 'How can you tell me to calm down? If he had—if Potter hadn't—' she stammered.

'The point is, he didn't, and Potter did,' Lily said quietly.

James frowned. 'Sorry, I did what?'

'Rescued her,' Marlene said.

'I had help with that,' James said, indicating Sirius, Remus and Peter.

Marlene laughed. 'Mary only has eyes for you, Potter,' she said. James chuckled, and also caught Lily looking slightly perturbed by the comment. 'She wants you to come and visit whenever you get a moment.'

'Er—I'll bear that in mind,' James said.

'You should go,' Gideon said.

'Yeah. Never pass up a good thing,' Fabian added with a grin.

'Oh stuff it,' James muttered as the twins laughed. He had the feeling they were enjoying toying with him in front of Lily, although James again noticed she was looking increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation.

Sirius leaned forward. 'We were just talking about what Snape had to do with it,' he said meaningfully.

'Snape?' Marlene frowned, and Lily looked positively livid.

'And just what do you mean by that?' she asked crisply.

Sirius shrugged. 'Just wondering what he was doing out after hours so close to the incident. I mean, he's pretty good mates with Mulciber and Avery, isn't he?'

'Not that close,' Lily stammered.

Sirius motioned across the hall. 'Then who's he sitting with?'

They all looked—Snape was indeed in quiet conversation with Mulciber and Avery at the Slytherin table. Lily's ears turned red as Sirius leaned back triumphantly in his seat. Remus caught sight of this and cleared his throat. 'We shouldn't be jumping to conclusions,' he said reasonably.

'Oh come off it, Moony,' Sirius muttered with a roll of his eyes.

'So—er—when is Mary supposed to be out of the hospital wing?' James asked Lily.

Lily stood up. 'Why don't you ask her yourself,' she snapped and she left the great hall.

Sirius looked confused. 'She didn't even eat,' he said.

Marlene sighed. 'That's because you upset her.'

Sirius looked even more confused. 'What have I done now?'

Marlene shook her head. 'It's a wonder you're able to find my lips on my face sometimes, Sirius. You can be so thick.'

Sirius looked at Remus for help, but he merely shrugged.

James put off the request to go and visit Mary in the hospital wing. He didn't much fancy the idea of giving her the wrong impression. He certainly did not regret intervening and helping her when she needed it, but the way she felt about him was not exactly a secret.

'It's only manners to go,' Sirius said as they walked to wards Madam Bones' classroom.

'The day I take advice from you about girls, Sirius, I think I'll be buried in the ground,' James muttered to a chuckle from Remus.

'He's right about this, though,' Remus said. 'Mary's just been through a bit of an experience, and she clearly wants to thank you.'

'Probably with tongue,' Sirius said with a smirk. James swung his hand out but missed as Sirius dodged nimbly backwards.

'You were all there, too!' James said. 'So why don't you come with me?'

'We could to that,' Peter said, instantly earning glares from Remus and Sirius for saying so. 'What?' he yelped.

'Why do you guys want me to go so badly?' James asked.

Sirius sighed. 'You tell him,' he muttered.

'Why is it always me?' Remus asked in surprise.

'Tell me what?' James asked.

'Because you're the one who reads those trashy romance books!' Sirius said.

Remus went pink. 'Just because _you_prefer to bumble around like an idiot with Marlene—' he began.

'Tell me what?' James asked again.

'Bumble?' Sirius roared. 'Hark who's talking! You've never even been kissed!'

'Tell me _what?__'_ James said again.

Remus rolled his eyes. 'It's hardly an indictment on me that one girl in this whole school finds your brand of clueless, infantile snogging attractive!'

James reached out and grabbed the both of them by their collars before they could continue to argue. 'Tell…me…what?' he asked in a quiet voice.

'You're too hung up on Lily,' Sirius said quickly.

'And you're just going to get hurt,' Remus added.

James let go of the both of them and cast a gaze at Peter, who looked profoundly terrified to be involved in this discussion. 'I…agree?' he said tentatively.

'And how long have you been discussing this for?' James asked irritably.

Remus seemed somewhat relieved that James wasn't yelling. 'A while,' he said slowly. 'It's just—you've got people who are interested in you and you seem to have blinders on to anyone but Lily.'

James rolled his eyes. 'I'm not going to go and snog Mary McDonald just because Evans hasn't come round, yet,' he said.

'I beg your pardon?' came a surprised voice from behind James. He felt blood rush to his face as he turned to see Lily standing there with Marlene. Lily's eyebrows had shot up to join her hairline, and Marlene was clearly stifling laughter.

'Evans!' James whispered. 'I—er—what the—that is to say—nice morning?' he asked.

'We were just leaving,' Remus said, grabbing Sirius and Peter as he marched away down the hall.

'So was I,' Marlene said. Lily made to grab her to keep her standing there, but Marlene dodged nimbly aside, sticking her tongue out as she went.

James ran a hand through his hair nervously. 'You weren't meant to hear that,' he said.

'Hear what?' she asked innocently.

James rolled his eyes. 'Oh come off it, you heard that, Evans,' he muttered as he began to walk. Lily fell into step beside him.

'They think you're—er—wasting your time?' she asked.

'Am I?' James asked.

'Potter…' Lily groaned.

James stopped and looked at her. 'Can you answer that question?' he asked evenly. 'Am I completely wasting my time with you? I mean—am I being a fool?'

Lily sighed and looked at him. 'I can't,' she said.

'Can't what?' James replied.

'Answer that,' Lily replied, going slightly pink. 'Potter—I—we're going to be late for class.'

James frowned. 'So? Let's be late,' he said.

'Just like that?' Lily scoffed.

'It's called living,' James replied. 'Why can't you answer that?'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Potter, you know how this conversation goes. I'll admit, you're not as vile as I first thought you were…'

'How flattering. I'm going to keep that in my special memories box,' James said sarcastically, but he was smirking.

Lily made a face at him. 'But things are too complicated right now.'

'Right now,' James echoed.

'Yes,' Lily said.

James contemplated this for a moment. 'So what you're saying is, in the future, I've got a shot?'

Lily slapped a hand to her face. 'I never said that,' she said.

'But you didn't not say it either! So you don't even know that that's a thing that you know!' he said happily.

'I—what?' Lily asked.

'I'm not wasting my time,' James said with a wide grin.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Hypothetically, let's say you weren't. Let's just say that things were to change. Care to guess what would need to change?'

James frowned. 'Er…be more attentive in school?'

Lily snorted. 'It would be a start, but we're talking more obvious than that, Potter.'

'Make nice with Snape?' James asked.

Lily tapped her nose with her index finger while pointing at James with the other. 'You start acting like a three year old when he's involved.'

James snorted. 'But he does the same!' he replied.

'So? He's not looking to go out with me, is he?' Lily replied, and she immediately went pink as she realized what was coming next.

'As a matter of fact, I would state to a one hundred percent degree of certainty that he is,' James said, looking thoroughly amused as he did so.

'I—besides the—well, I'm not interested in him!' Lily said, her face turning a similar shade as her hair.

'But you're interested in me,' James stated.

'Will you quit putting words in my mouth?' she snapped.

James laughed. 'Sorry,' he said. 'Shall we walk?'

'Where to?' Lily muttered.

'You're coming with me to the hospital wing,' James said brightly.

Lily frowned. 'Seriously? You're bringing me with you to see Mary?' she asked.

James grinned. 'You're going to be my human shield. Unless you'd like me to let her finish the job she started at that party?'

Lily sighed as they began to head to the staircase. 'There's no firewhisky clouding her judgment this time.'

'Do you think she needs it?' James smirked.

'No,' Lily replied truthfully. 'And stop looking so damned smug, Potter—I haven't said anything,' she said.

James laughed. 'Sure you have. There's always tomorrow for my dreams to come true, right?'


	28. Gelatin and Pleas

28

James had very little to complain about over the coming weeks. Mary had emerged from the hospital wing with no lasting damage, and Snape and Lily's friendship seemed to have hit its rockiest patch yet—while Snape was not overtly defending what everyone suspected Mulciber had done, he was imploring Lily not to jump to conclusions and stated it was all just a joke that had gone awry. Lily was not convinced by the explanations and had become very frosty to him, much to Snape's dismay, but to the general glee of everyone else.

In addition, Gryffindor played their match against Hufflepuff and won handily in a one-sided yet clean game. They were now in a position where all they had to do was win against Ravenclaw, and they would be in a winner-take-all match against Slytherin once more for the Quidditch Cup. In addition, the winter weather was beginning to fade away allowing the students to lounge outside on the school grounds. It was here that James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Marlene were sitting.

'Looking forward to the Ravenclaw match on Friday?' Sirius asked bracingly.

James nodded. 'Dorcas is running double practices every evening. If we have any energy left, I'll certainly be excited,' he joked.

'Lily's excited, too,' Marlene said suggestively. 'I've never known her to be really into Quidditch before, but she seems to be looking forward to this all, too.'

Remus chuckled. 'Great, now James' head is going to be in the clouds all week,' he said.

'It's already there, what with Snivelly and Lily fighting all the time. Serves him right though,' Sirius added. He was lounging in Marlene's lap as she played with his hair in a not-entirely-un-nauseating fashion.

Marlene frowned. 'I know you don't like him—I don't either—but why does it serve him right?'

'Little git's always following us around trying to get us into trouble,' Sirius said with a snort.

Marlene's frown deepened. 'When? I haven't noticed him following you around.'

James looked sharply at Sirius, and saw Remus and Peter do the same out of the corner of his eye. Sirius paused for a moment, and then went on easily. 'Well, that's because he hasn't successfully gotten us into trouble yet,' he said with a smile. 'We're much too clever for that.'

Marlene seemed satisfied. 'Much too modest, too,' she smirked.

'We'll get him back eventually,' Sirius said with a grin. 'How goes our extracurricular assignment, Moony?' he asked.

Remus went slightly pink. 'Fine,' he said.

'What assignment is this? Marlene asked.

James glared at Sirius again. He was being far too loose-lipped for his liking. 'Er—potions,' Sirius said. 'We're doing extra credit work.'

'But you're fabulous at potions,' Marlene pointed out.

Sirius nodded. 'Peter's rubbish, though, so we're doing the extra credit to help him out,' he lied easily. Peter went extremely pink in the face and Remus frowned. James grimaced—as embarrassing as the lie was for Peter, it was somewhat believable.

'Well that's very nice of you,' Marlene said kindly as Sirius' eyes flicked apologetically to Peter. James shook his head with a sigh.

The rest of the week saw tension ramping up in the school. The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were typically on good terms with each other, and they never resorted to dirty tactics during or between games with one another. But the Slytherins were making it perfectly clear who they would rather play for the Quidditch Cup, and that was Ravenclaw.

Remembering the underhanded moves that Slytherin had made in years' past, Dorcas once again instructed all the Gryffindor players to travel in groups to avoid ambushes. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter went everywhere together.

Crabbe and Goyle had attempted to ambush Gideon and Fabian Prewett on their way to the washroom one day. The end result was that they had both ended up stuck in toilet bowls—their backsides magically enlarged to prevent them from escaping. This was all discovered after the fact, as the Prewetts had been mum on what happened until Crabbe and Goyle failed to show up for class. Filch had finally discovered them, gagged so as not to shout out for help, and it was only then that Gideon and Fabian confided in their teammates what had happened.

'We could have done worse,' Gideon said with a grin as they sat in the great hall eating lunch on Friday afternoon.

'It's true. I was personally advocating that we stick their heads down the bog rather than their arses,' Fabian chimed in as James laughed.

Frank and Alice strode into the hall together, talking animatedly and laughing as they came over towards the table. 'Still no room on your pool for when they finally lock lips?' Gideon asked hopefully.

James laughed again. 'Sorry, private bet,' he said with a wink.

'Alright, everyone?' Frank asked as they sat down. They were quickly joined by Lily, who plunked herself down next to Alice.

'We were just getting an explanation as to what really happened to Crabbe and Goyle,' Cresswell chuckled.

Lily 'ooo'd' appreciatively. 'I'd like to send a Christmas card to the geniuses behind that,' she said with a glazed look in her eyes. James looked at her in surprise. 'What? They're foul,' she said dismissively to even more general astonishment.

'I don't think I've ever seen your dark side before, Evans,' James said.

'There's lots of me you've never seen,' Lily replied with a grin. 'And lots you never will.'

Gideon and Fabian roared with laughter. James tried to laugh it off too, but he couldn't help grinning at the smirk on Lily's face. 'Don't get me wrong, Evans—I think the dark side suits you well.'

Sirius nodded enthusiastically. 'Especially if it extends to Sn—' he began, but he was cut off abruptly by an elbow to the midsection from Remus. 'Mulciber and Avery,' he winced, glaring at Remus angrily.

'Mulciber…' Lily muttered angrily.

'We'll get him on the pitch,' Alice said encouragingly. 'I'll give him an extra whack for Mary.'

'I'd rather you not go near him,' Frank grimaced. 'I don't want to be accused with assault before leaving school, if you don't mind,' he said to general laughter.

Alice raised an eyebrow. 'Don't think I can take him?' she asked.

'Please. You could run circles around him, quite literally,' Frank replied. 'I just don't think you need to dirty your hands with him.'

'Right—that's our job,' Gideon said with a grin. 'You just catch that Snitch. We'll be sure to leave Mulciber black and blue.'

'We'll throw in some green, brown and orange for good measure,' Fabian added.

'Well, I'm stuffed—I'm going to go and polish my broom for the game,' James said, standing up.

Dorcas instantly pointed at Sirius. 'Take him with you,' she ordered. Sirius obediently began to shovel handfuls of food into his robe, but James waved dismissively at him.

'It's just from here to the common room! I think I can manage,' James said.

Dorcas folded her arms. 'Absolutely not,' she said. 'This is exactly the sort of opportunity the Slytherins have been waiting for.'

'Oh come on, Snape's sitting right over there and he's the only one who's ever tried to get me in the past,' James said, pointing him out and glancing apologetically at Lily. 'It's just a two minute jog—I'll be there in no time.'

He took off before Dorcas could object. He exited the great hall and moved up the staircase, taking them two at a time. He was nearly at the top when the hulking form of Avery appeared at the top of them, leering down at him. James stopped in his tracks and idly slipped his hand into his robes, feeling his wand. 'Alright, Avery?' he asked.

Avery grinned. 'Fancy seeing you here, Potter,' he said.

James raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. 'I didn't know you could talk. I thought you communicated by banging rocks together,' he said sarcastically.

'You talk too much,' Avery snarled.

'Incessantly,' James replied. 'I'm on my way to my common room, so if you don't mind moving?'

'You're not going anywhere,' Avery said, producing his wand.

James sighed and drew his. 'You don't stand a chance against me one-on-one, Avery,' he said in a warning tone.

Avery smiled again. 'Let's even the odds then,' he said with a grin and James was suddenly aware of someone else on the stairs behind him. He cast a look back to see Mulciber climbing the staircase, his wand drawn.

'Ah, but of course. It wouldn't be a true Slytherin ambush if you didn't outnumber your victim,' James said confidently. 'I must say—I'm pleased you didn't decide to pick on a girl this time,' he added.

Mulciber chuckled. 'McDonald'll come around someday,' he said.

'Come around?' James echoed. 'But this is touching—are you sweet on her, Mulciber?' Mulciber said nothing so James, sensing it was going to come to a fight anyway, pressed on. 'I can see why you'd need the Imperius curse to do that. I mean, it's hard giving you a second look, giving it looks like someone once set your face on fire and subsequently beat out the flames with a hammer.'

Mulciber snarled. 'Enough!' he said and he raised his wand.

James hurled himself aside, flipping his wand through the air and casting a shield charm swiftly. Mulciber's rebounding curse nearly struck him, but he leapt to the side of the staircase. James' Quidditch reflexes came to his aid as he bounced to his feet and bolted past Avery, heading up the stairs. He blindly flicked his wand behind him, casting a stunning spell which—by the angry yell he heard behind him—struck Avery. James sprinted through the hallway, he was almost to the portrait hole—

—when suddenly a foot appeared from behind a statue, tripping James up and sending him crashing to the floor. He caught the briefest glimpse of Regulus Black. 'YOU!' James yelled, but he was suddenly struck in the back of the head by a heavy object and his world faded to black.

He did not know how long he was unconscious, but he became distantly aware of the sound of voices. It took him back to the times he had woken up in the hospital room, and he immediately realized it was the same two voices he was accustomed to hearing.

'They're gone,' said a male voice. 'Scarpered. But when I get hold of Regulus…' it trailed off into curse words.

'What the hell did they do to his arm?' moaned a female voice.

'We need to get him to the hospital wing,' said the male voice.

'No,' James groaned.

'Potter! Are you alright?' the female voice asked urgently.

James' eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring up into the faces of Lily Evans and Sirius Black. 'What happened?' he moaned.

Lily bit her lip. 'You were ambushed,' she said. 'By—'

'—my brother,' Sirius spat angrily. 'And it looks like Mulciber and Avery, too. I'll tend to them, but we need to get you to see Madam Pomfrey,' he said.

James sat up. 'Why?' he muttered. 'I'm fine.' He glanced down at his arm and felt his stomach turn over—it looked like a wet noodle. 'What the hell is this?' he gasped.

Lily bit her lip. 'If I had to guess? They got rid of all the bones in your arm…' she trailed off as James' mind raced. If he went to Madam Pomfrey, that would be it—he wouldn't be able to play in the Quidditch match. Growing bones back was a lengthy process.

'Come on, mate, we need to get you to the hospital wing,' Sirius said.

James stood up, shaking his arm to test it out. It flopped back and forth with a gelatinous sound effect. 'No,' he said. 'If I do that, I won't be able to play.'

'Don't be thick, you can't play with your arm like that!' Sirius said, aghast.

'Potter, you won't be able to hold onto your broom and catch the quaffle. You need to be reasonable, here,' Lily pointed out.

James shook his head. 'We'll lash this arm to the broom handle, and I can catch with the other hand.'

'You're mental,' Sirius said.

'Look, if we lose this match—if we lose because of me—I'll never forgive myself, and that's not even touching on what Dorcas will do to me…' James shuddered at the thought.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'I think she'll understand, Potter! You've got no bones in one arm! Who do you think you're going to be helping? All Gryffindor has to do is win, it's not that critical.'

'Yes it is,' James said firmly. 'You two tell no one about this, you understand?'

'He's taking the mickey,' Sirius said, looking at Lily for support. 'You expect me to just let Regulus get away with this?' he added.

James shook his head. 'No, you can get your revenge after the match. But if Dorcas finds out…if McGonagall finds out…they won't let me play.'

'And they'd be right!' Lily said, throwing her arms up in exasperation. 'This is beyond stupid, Potter! You won't be able to defend yourself if a bludger comes your way! You won't be able to control your broom properly with just one hand!'

James puffed his chest out as he began marching towards the common room. 'Just watch me,' he said.

'This isn't the time to be arrogant!' Lily implored as she and Sirius trotted along behind them. 'You could get seriously injured! Potter I—I'll tell McGonagall if I have to!' James stopped short and looked at her. She looked defiant, but somewhat hesitant at the same time. 'You can throw all the machismo you want at me, Potter, but I swear, I'll do it!'

Sirius bit his lip and looked back and forth between them. James closed his eyes and prayed for patience, and then he realized the only avenue available to him.

'Please,' he said quietly.

Lily's eyes went wide. 'Beg pardon?'

'Please,' he said again. 'Let me do this. It's not about being arrogant I—there's too much riding on this for me to be the reason it all falls apart,' he said. 'Please, Evans. Let me play.'

Lily looked very much as if she would like to tell him where to stick his please, but she cast her eyes to the ground. 'Oh, go on, then,' she muttered.

'Right,' James said as they entered the common room. 'Sirius, find something to lash my arm to the broom with. I'm going to need to wrap it around my robes, too, so it doesn't look too suspicious. Quick now, I need to get in full gear before the others get here!'

Sirius and James dashed up to their dormitory and began preparing in earnest. They could hear sounds from the common room as the other players arrived—and the subsequent sounds of Lily distracting them. James found some unicorn hair which had been given to him by Hagrid the previous year, and they snugly fastened James' gloved but useless arm to his broom.

'If they look closely at it, they'll be able to tell,' Sirius said worriedly. 'Don't give anyone reason to.'

'You don't know anything about this, you're safe,' James said firmly. Sirius looked at him questioningly. 'If McGonagall found out that you or Evans knew, you'd be in big trouble. I did all of this on my own—understood?'

Sirius hesitated and then nodded. 'Fine,' he said.

The door the dormitory burst open and Frank, Gideon, Fabian and Cresswell came in. The latter three carried on to their own room while Frank joined them in theirs. 'Ready to fly, James?' he said excitedly.

'You bet,' James said with a bright grin.

'Don't make me regret this,' Sirius said under his breath.


	29. Lefties and NonFriends

29

Even from the dressing room, the sound of the whole school roaring above was deafening. They could hear the rhythmic thunder of chants from the opposing sides. The Gryffindors were loudly cheering on their team, while the Hufflepuffs seemed mostly divided between the two sides. The Ravenclaws had some unwanted allies in the Slytherins, who were more than vocal about their wishes for Gryffindor to lose.

James stared mutely at the ground, his broom lashed tightly to his useless arm. Frank and Alice were sitting next to him, staring attentively at Dorcas who stood in the middle of the room. Even Cresswell looked alert, and the Prewetts had kept their joking banter to a low level of volume, waiting for her speech to start.

'Well everyone,' Dorcas said with a smile around the room. 'I know I've been awfully hard on you for the last few weeks. The reason for that was that I didn't want you to lose focus on this game. If we get caught looking ahead to a Cup match with Slytherin, this one could slip through our fingers. But the truth is, you're all good enough to know that. We've got experience in this room—championship experience, and it would be foolish of me to say that you don't know how to get up for a big game.

'The real reason that I did all of this was to stay focused myself. This is my last hurrah—Dirk's as well. After this year, we head out of Hogwarts. We head into the real world, and frankly, that world is looking more and more frightening with each day. With Lord Voldemort on the rise…' she trailed off for a moment. 'The fact is, we can't take things for granted anymore. We can't afford to think that the best is yet to come for us. We can't afford to get caught dreaming of the future and forget to live in the present. We can't afford to grow up to fast,' she said with a look and a smile at James, and then over at Frank. 'That's something you've all taught me.

'If we win this match, we get our chance to put one more over on Slytherin. And there's a very real possibility that that might be as good as life gets for Dirk and I—maybe even for you lot as well. There's no guarantees that this war won't still be raging by the time you graduate,' she said earnestly. 'So all of this preparation, all of this relentless drilling, all of me being well—a bit of a hard-arse…it's all been for me. It's been selfish, really,' she said with a sheepish look around the room. 'I want the chance to hoist that Cup one more time. One last time,' she added. 'But in order to do that, we need to get past Ravenclaw. All we need is a win today, you lot. One win. It doesn't matter how we get it.

'If for some reason it doesn't happen—well, we won last year. But I wanted to say that it's been my privilege to fly with you. Now let's go out there and have some fun.'

Fabian whooped and got to his feet as Gideon clapped his hands loudly. Cresswell strode over to Dorcas and gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. James cast a glance over at Alice and Frank, who were doing some sort of secret hand-shake/high-five combo while cheering together. Dorcas was suddenly at James' side. 'Ready to fly like the wind?' she asked.

'Born for it,' James replied.

'Alright—let's roll out,' Dorcas said strongly and she headed out of the room. The Twins, hollering and yelling obscenities about what they hoped to do to the Ravenclaw players, were next. Frank and Alice bounced through the doors after them, and then Cresswell went. James stood in the room by himself and exhaled slowly.

'Roll out,' he muttered and he followed after them. They stepped onto the pitch as a group and the stadium erupted—the Ravenclaw players were coming on at the same time. He spotted their three Chasers—Borroughs, Raymond and Orsino. All were big, athletically built boys in their seventh years. Compared to he, Frank and Cresswell, they seemed to have a distinct size advantage.

The Seeker was Thorne, a fifth year with a very slender build that was perfect for a Seeker. He was a head taller than Alice, who stood opposite on the pitch sizing him up. The two Beaters were Davies and Doughty, two burly but clean players. Finally there was their Keeper, a short but agile female sixth-year named Miller.

'Alright, everyone—I want to see a good clean game,' Madam Hooch said as Dorcas shook hands with Davies, the Ravenclaw captain. 'No one to the hospital wing.'

'I didn't realize Slytherin was playing,' Davies quipped with a smile at Dorcas who smiled back.

'Lucky for us. Best of luck, Davies,' she said.

'You as well,' Davies replied and they separated, mounting their brooms as Hooch went over to the box containing the Quaffles and the Snitch. She paused for dramatic effect and kicked the box open, unleashing them into the air.

Frank launched after the Quaffle instantly and James kicked off the ground, rocketing up into the air and pulling into a long loop of the far side of the pitch. He looked over to see Frank had easily beaten Orsino to the quaffle and he ducked underneath a lunging body check from Raymond. He spotted Cresswell trailing the play and passed him the quaffle. James darted towards the hoops, slinking in behind the Beaters as he did so. Cresswell hurled the quaffle forward, easily splitting the two beaters and headed straight for James.

He was unaccustomed to catching or throwing with his left hand in games. He had always made a point to himself of practicing with both arms, as injuries inevitably happened—but he had never had to completely rely upon his left arm before. He nearly fumbled the quaffle, and lost a split second concentrating on maintaining the catch. He looked up in time to see Doughty streaking in at him, much faster than James would have thought.

He hurled the quaffle as quick as he could at the right most hoop and absorbed the hit from Doughty, nearly being knocked from his broom as he did so. Had it not been for his right arm being lashed to it, he might well have come completely off. He grimaced as he felt winded, but that turned to a momentary feeling of elation as he saw the quaffle had rung off the inside of the hoop and gone in, giving Gryffindor a 10-0 lead.

He flew back along the pitch somewhat slowly as Ravenclaw regrouped. He looked up into the sky to see Alice circling the pitch, her eyes alertly scanning for any sign of the Snitch. He then spotted Thorne, who was on the opposite side. He was scanning the pitch and also casting quick glances at Alice to see if she had spotted it.

'Here they come! Out of the way, James!' Gideon said bracingly, smashing a bludger heavily as James moved aside. The bludger caught Borroughs on the left leg, but he had already moved the quaffle to Orsino, who dodged around Cresswell. The move had cost him awareness, however, as he had not seen Fabian smash his own bludger. It caught him sidelong on the face, causing him to drop the quaffle. Frank quickly grabbed it and hurled it to James, who missed as he stretched out with his left arm to a groan from the crowd.

'This is no time for showboating!' Dorcas hollered. 'Use your good arm, Potter!'

'I'd love to,' he hissed.

'What's the matter, Potter?' came a taunting voice from the pitch below. He cast his eyes down to see a group of Slytherins sitting together, Snape central among them as he grinned up at him. 'Throwing arm feeling a bit—er—loose?'

James' eyes narrowed. Snape might not have set finger to him, but James would bet several galleons that Snape had helped organize the ambush. He leaned down to his broom and chased after the quaffle as Raymond go to it first. Raymond was agile for a large boy, and he deked himself away from James and launched the quaffle over to Orsino. Borroughs had momentarily left the pitch to repair his bleeding face, giving Gryffindor a numbers advantage. Orsino hurled the quaffle at the right-most hoop, but Dorcas was there, making an impressive toe save. The quaffle deflected to Fabian, who expertly batted it with his beater's bat to James. He didn't fumble this time, catching the quaffle. He launched quickly along the left side of the stadium, ignoring Dorcas yelling again about his good arm.

'I'm trailing you!' he heard Cresswell shout from somewhere behind him. It was a good thing, as James was headed directly for Doughty, who was sizing him up for a good whack with a bludger. James whipped the quaffle back and then ducked down, casting a look back to see Cresswell catch the bludger and shift upward. They nearly sandwiched Doughty as they rocketed past, and then Cresswell spotted Frank with the quaffle, catching him with a perfect pass. Frank didn't waste time settling the quaffle, he simply swatted it with his arm and through the right-most hoop. 20-0 Gryffindor.

The game continued on like that for some time. Ravenclaw mounted a determined effort, and after an hour or so of game-time, the score was 90-70. Hardly great numbers, and if Ravenclaw caught the Snitch, it would be lights out for Gryffindor. James was doing his level best to ignore Dorcas' continued shouting and swearing.

'What are you doing?' Frank hissed suddenly, taking an opportunity after potting Gryffindor's ninth marker to fly alongside him. 'Why aren't you using your good arm?'

'Can't,' James said, flexing his left arm. It was getting sore—he was using it a great deal and he was not used to it.

'Why not?' Frank asked.

'Injured,' James hissed. 'Don't worry, I'm fine. Just keep your eyes open for the snitch to alert Alice, we need to be ready.'

Frank looked like he wanted to press the point but he flew off to intercept Orsino, who was threatening to deke his way through the entire Gryffindor team. He was quite a strong flier, but he had a small case of tunnel vision. Much like Borroughs, he took a bludger to the side of the head. He did not have to leave for repairs as Borroughs had, but Frank launched back the other way with the quaffle.

The next bit seemed to happen in slow motion. James cast a glance up at Alice, who was still circling, and only saw it from the corner of his eye—Thorne was racing down towards the Gryffindor hoop. James moved before he even saw the golden glitter of the snitch. 'ALICE!' he screamed as he launched himself forward.

He was closer—he didn't even spare a look up to see where Alice was in relation to him. He had one single goal, to divert Thorne from his path. Thorne was closer, but James' broom was faster. He squinted one eye shut the moment before impact—Thorne's outstretched hand was only a foot away from the Snitch. James directed his broom to make a one-in-a-million maneuver, grazing the tip of his broomstick past the tip of Thorne's. He couldn't hit Thorne outright without drawing a penalty, but the graze wobbled Thorne's balance, forcing him to correct.

James glanced back—Alice had closed the distance remarkably fast, and she scooped down in front of Thorne, clutching the snitch in her hand as she did so. James whooped and nearly forgot to correct himself as he was headed straight for the wall of the pitch. He quickly tried to pull up, but having no muscle or strength in his right arm caused him to slip and he fell awkwardly off his broom, his arm bending unnaturally as he hung from it. The roaring crowd gasped momentarily—it must have looked awful. Had James had any bones in his arm, he surely would have broken several of them.

He managed to climb back aboard his broom and sweep down to the pitch where Alice and Frank were embracing, jumping up and down and cheering. Gideon and Fabian had arrived, hoisting Alice onto their shoulders in what was becoming a familiar sight. Cresswell clapped Frank on the back, but before James could join the group, he was intercepted by Dorcas—her eyes narrowed.

'What was that, Potter?' she said in a deadly voice.

'Captain, we've just won—' Cresswell said.

'Dirk, stay out of his or I'll hex you,' she said angrily, her eyes flashing at James. 'This is no time for showboating! Is this another bet with some Slytherin? You could have cost us the game, I thought we were a bit more important to you than some sort of bragging rights!'

'I have an explanation,' James said as a rush of Gryffindors barged past, clapping him and Dorcas on the back on their way to where the others were.

'And that is?' Dorcas asked.

James sighed and lifted his arm, still lashed to his broom. 'Touch my arm,' he said.

Dorcas looked perplexed. 'Why is it lashed to your broom?' she asked as she reached out and poked it. She recoiled her hand immediately—it had sunk into the flesh of his arm as if she had poked a balloon. 'What the—' she breathed.

'I was ambushed before the game,' James whispered quietly.

Dorcas stared at him in shock. 'I TOLD you you shouldn't have gone off alone!' she groaned.

'It's fine, really, we've won and I can see Madam Pomfrey now,' James said.

'See Madam Pomfrey about what?' Professor McGonagall's voice came as she appeared beside them. 'Splendid goaltending, Meadowes, truly splendid! Oh I hope we win the Cup again this year,' she said with a dreamy look.

James cleared his throat. 'I was just feeling a bit off color, Professor. I should go congratulate Alice.'

It wasn't until they were back in the dressing room that the rest of the team was filled in on what had occurred. Gideon and Fabian were mutinous, clutching their wands menacingly and making to leave the room. Their path was blocked by Cresswell and Dorcas. Sirius, who had entered the room with Marlene, Lily, Mary, Remus and Peter shook his head. 'Regulus is mine,' he said angrily.

'You should just let them get their comeuppance on the pitch,' Lily said evenly.

Sirius snorted. 'Oh he'll get that, too,' he said darkly. 'But there's a little extra payback coming their way.'

'And you think it was Snape that organized it?' Frank asked incredulously. James bit his lip and cast a glance at Lily, who was now looking at him with narrowed eyes.

'I don't know for certain,' James said.

Sirius snorted again. 'Stop pandering to Evans, James, if he didn't have something to do with this then I'll eat dung,' he muttered.

Remus cleared his throat. 'Innocent until proven guilty,' he said.

'Oh, what a load of—' Sirius began.

'So, they won,' Marlene said, elbowing him in the ribs meaningfully. 'That means they're in the Quidditch Final again!'

'Yes,' said Alice, seizing the opportunity to change the subject. 'We get a chance for back-to-back wins and to send the Captain and Cresswell off in style!'

'Speaking of 'in style',' Gideon said mischievously. 'I think a little celebration is in order?'

The Gryffindor common room was sure to be packed, but James could not enjoy it. He was laying in a bed in the hospital wing, having just swallowed a goodly portion of Skele-Grow. His arm felt as if someone had beaten it with heavy, blunt objects. He was sure there would be hell to pay sooner rather than later—Madam Pomfrey had informed him that she was forced to tell Professor McGonagall about the injury. The only reason she was not there yelling at him right now, Madam Pomfrey had gone on, was that she was angry beyond even words.

With that joyous thought in his head, James now sat alone in the hospital wing. He was about ready to try and go to sleep when a voice came from his robes which were hung next to the bed. 'James! James, you there?'

'What the…' James muttered as he reached into the robes and pulled out his enchanted mirror. Sirius' face was grinning back at him, Remus and Peter were squished in around him as they all vied for space. 'How did you sneak the mirror into my robes?' James asked.

Sirius beamed. 'Sleight of hand, James,' he said with a grin. 'Is the coast clear? We were thinking of coming and bringing you a pick me up or two,' he said.

James chuckled. 'I wouldn't say no to the company, or the pick me up,' he muttered as he rubbed his arm irritably. 'This stuff is seriously awful. It tasted like troll bogies going down, and it feels like there's a little man in my arm swinging a meat cleaver around.'

'Sounds lovely,' Remus murmured. 'We have some Butterbeer as well as some chocolates from Honeydukes,' he said.

James glanced over at Madam Pomfrey's office. 'I think Madam Pomfrey is out for the night, so you should be safe. You're sure you don't want to stay there?'

'Not at all!' Peter said. 'Besides, we have good news—but we need to deliver it in person!'

'Marlene's okay with you leaving?' James chuckled to Sirius.

Sirius smirked. 'I'm worth the wait,' he said proudly, earning a roll of the eyes from Remus. 'We'll see you in a few minutes!'

James tucked his mirror back into his robes, feeling more upbeat than he had a moment ago. He sat up in bed when the door to the hospital wing opened—he jumped, looking at the clock. There was no way that they had gotten there that fast.

'Potter?' came Lily's voice. 'Is the coast clear?'

James was so astounded that, for a moment, he forget to speak. 'Uh—yeah! Yeah, it's clear!' he hissed and Lily trotted over to the bed. 'Muffliato,' she hissed, pointing her wand at Madam Pomfrey's office. It was the second time James had heard someone use this spell, Madam Bones being the first. She had mentioned a student inventing spells…

'Did you invent that?' he asked, impressed.

Lily shook her head. 'Not me,' she said. 'Sev.'

The impressed feeling faded. 'Ah,' James said. 'Er—what brings you out? After curfew, no less?'

Lily smirked. 'Well, I thought I'd warn you that Mary is planning to try and sneak up here,' she said. 'I think she was planning to bring you some firewhisky.'

James groaned. 'Can you knock me out?' he muttered.

'I'm not sure that would stop her,' Lily chuckled. 'I brought you some chocolate—I don't envy you right now, re-growing bones is supposed to be pretty nasty business,' she observed.

'Oh, this?' James said brightly. 'It's nothing. Walk in the park.'

'You're a dreadful liar,' Lily said.

'What makes you think I'm lying?' James replied.

'You drum your fingers when you're lying,' Lily said, and even in the dark, it was clear that she had gone slightly pink in the face. James decided to let the fact that she apparently observed him enough to notice when he wasn't being truthful slide.

He sighed. 'It hurts a bit,' he confessed as he accepted a chocolate frog. 'So did you just come here to warn me about Mary?'

Lily sighed. 'Do you really think Sev was behind the ambush?' she asked soberly.

James looked at her steadily. 'He taunted me from the stands,' he said slowly. 'I think he knew about it—but he definitely didn't partake. I only saw Regulus, Mulciber and Avery,' he said.

'It feels like I'm losing him,' she muttered.

'I don't know whether that's true or not,' James replied.

Lily looked at him. 'Why do you two have to hate each other?' she asked. 'It makes everything so much harder than it needs to be.'

James chuckled. 'Not everyone can be mutual friends,' he said. 'Personally, the relationships that you have with other people don't bother me much at all.'

Lily snorted lightly. 'Easy for you to say,' she muttered darkly. 'Sev is pretty consumed with you. He gets downright incoherent whenever you're brought up.'

'Are you saying you bring me up a lot?' James smirked.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'No, but let's just say that if you and I were to be friends, it would likely result in me and Sev not being friends anymore.'

'I'm not seeing the downside here,' James quipped and Lily smacked his knee lightly. 'How about this,' James said. 'You and I just keep being whatever it is we are for the moment, and when you eventually come to realize that Sev is a total tit, we can re-evaluate.'

Lily shook her head. 'You can be so full of yourself,' she said but she was smiling. 'What makes you think I will think he's a total tit?'

'I am supremely confident that—for once—he will not let me down in this regard,' James said. He stopped grinning. 'Not that I'm hoping you lose a friend. Far from it. I wish he'd just drop things.'

Lily shrugged. 'Hopefully you both grow out of this,' she sighed. 'Anyway—I should get back to the common room. I'll tell Mary you've been given a sleep potion or something, so you're not awake all night in pain.'

'Oooo, good plan,' James said brightly. 'You're a cunning one, Evans.'

Lily smirked. 'Good night, non-friend,' she said.

James chuckled. 'Sweet dreams, non-friend,' he replied.

Lily lingered for a moment, staring at James. She seemed on the verge of saying something, but she closed her mouth and turned, walking silently out of the hospital wing. James leaned back in his bed smiling.

'That was a tender moment,' came Sirius' voice from next to him, causing James to nearly jump out of his skin. The invisibility cloak came off, revealing Sirius, Remus and Peter sitting there with grins on their faces. 'Seriously—moving stuff.'

'How long have you been there?' James asked as he gladly accepted a butterbeer from Remus.

Remus smirked. 'Long enough to see that you're making some headway. I'm impressed,' he said.

'You're like an itch, James,' Sirius said happily. 'Sooner or later, someone has to give you a scratch.'

'And you're just full of compliments,' James said, but he was smiling as his best friends laughed with him.


	30. Careers and Promises

A/N: I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter up. What with the holiday season, spending time with my family and starting with a new employer, I've been quite busy. Rest assured, the plan to carry on with the stories stays in place! Feel free to ask any questions you like about where you suspect the stories are going – I'll do my best "cryptic JK Rowling" impersonation and provide some answers. But for now…enjoy Chapter 30!

30

James could scarcely recall a time he had been in a better mood. The school was in fever pitch once more at the prospect of a grudge-filled Quidditch Cup re-match between fast, skilled and resilient Gryffindor, against surly, physical and dirty Slytherin. To make things even better, the good news that Sirius, Remus and Peter had come to deliver to James in the hospital wing was that everything was ready to go for their next epic prank. James had subsequently declared it would come after the Quidditch Cup match.

'But why?' Sirius had asked.

James shook his head. 'Mind games, Sirius,' he said. 'We don't give Slytherin any extra incentive to win that match. We went until we've beat them fair and square, and then—once they're down, good and proper—we hit them again with our prank.'

'You're diabolical,' Peter had said in awe to general agreement.

And so the pursuing two weeks flew by. Professor McGonagall went to every possible length to avoid giving any homework to the Gryffindor team, and more than a few times she practically ordered Dorcas to get the team onto the pitch for extra practice. Dorcas' primary concern was keeping the team safe after what had happened to James' arm. Even those Gryffindors not playing in the game got into the act; James frequently found himself surrounded by numbers of up to twenty Gryffindor students from all different years in the corridors of the school.

Professor Slughorn, the Head of Slytherin, was inclined to go in the other direction. While he was uncharacteristically fair for a Slytherin, he did not shy away from doling out the regular quantities of homework on his Gryffindor Potions' students. His Slytherin students, on the other hand, received extensions on all of their assignments until well after the Quidditch Cup.

'Why couldn't I be good at Quidditch,' Sirius grumbled one afternoon as he read through McGonagall's Transfiguration homework.

'If you focused as much on flying as you did on being generally disruptive, you might well be,' Remus observed without looking up from his own book. Sirius grabbed a cushion off the couch and threw it at him.

'You could probably learn,' Lily pointed out. She had taken to sitting with them in the Common Room while they did homework together. As another non-Quidditch player, Lily was not exempt from homework. She was extraordinarily quick at completing it all, however; James had watched as she had finished three rolls of parchment on Transfiguration, two rolls on Potions, effectively managed to produce a number of difficult Defense charms for Madam Bones, and get started on her Arithmancy work all in the time it took Remus to complete his Transfiguration paper. She was extremely smart.

'I suppose I could ask James to teach me,' Sirius said with a grin. 'But would I be in one piece at the end?'

'You saying I'd be a bad teacher?' James countered.

'If your study habits are any indication,' Sirius sniggered.

James snorted. 'When you have superior talent…' he began.

'Oh not that speech again,' Remus groaned. 'Anything but that.'

James laughed. 'Moony here would obviously make the best teacher—again, if study habits are any indication,' he added with a wink. Remus smiled appreciatively.

'And what about my study habits?' Lily scoffed.

'Sorry, I was referring to the Marauders. It's perfectly obvious that your study habits are not of this Earth,' James said to a chuckle from Remus, Peter and Sirius. Lily flushed slightly. 'It's an interesting thought, isn't it?' James suddenly mused. 'What we'll do when we're all grown up.'

Sirius sighed. 'You're never going to let me focus on finishing this paper, are you?' he muttered.

'So what? You know it all,' James replied.

'Yes, but unlike you, I am not blessed with quick penmanship,' Sirius muttered.

James grinned. 'That rules out a career in journalism for you,' he said.

'Not exactly,' Lily said without looking up. 'The Quick-Quotes Quill could do wonders for that. It's relatively new, but I hear it basically writes whatever you say for you.'

Sirius gaped. 'Is it allowed in school?'

'Don't be thick, of course it's not,' Remus answered.

'Damn,' Sirius muttered to more chuckling. 'Why tease me with that idea then…'

'I was only saying—you could potentially be a journalist.'

Remus shook his head. 'Not a chance. Too thick.'

'Oi!' Sirius said, looking for another pillow.

'I guess that's true,' Lily said teasingly. 'How long did it take you to realize Marlene was into you again?'

The others chuckled as Sirius sighed and stared up at the ceiling. 'Someone's testing me, I think. That's the only explanation for how I ended up with friends like these,' he said to no one in particular.

'What about me?' Peter asked excitedly.

'Department of Mysteries,' Lily said readily. Peter looked at her in surprise. 'Well, look at it objectively—you run around with—er, interesting people,' she said with an apologetic look at Remus who merely smiled. 'You're adept at keeping secrets, I'm relatively certain you are all excellent at breaking rules without being caught, and you're the quite one of the group. Ideal qualities for an Unspeakable.'

James couldn't help but agree; Peter, who clearly had been anticipating ribbing much like Sirius had received, looked extremely happy. 'Dare I ask about me?' James asked.

'If you manage to avoid prison, perhaps the driver of the Knight Bus?' Lily said with a smirk. Sirius roared with laughter as James grabbed the cushion that Sirius had lobbed at Remus earlier and aimed it at Lily. She threw her arms up to protect herself, but was saved by the arrival of Frank and Alice.

'What's so funny?' Alice asked.

'We were just discussing career options,' Lily said, grinning at James again who simply shook his head.

Alice nodded knowingly. 'So what have we decided for Potter—toilet cleaner at the Ministry of Magic?'

'That stings! We're supposed to be teammates,' James said in a tone of mock hurt.

'Yeah, come on, Alice,' Frank said sternly. 'Anyway, with his talent on the Quidditch Pitch, he's clearly better suited to be the Broom Boy for the Chudley Canons,' he added with a grin.

James sighed. 'Laugh it up, everyone,' he said shaking his head. 'You two nervous for tomorrow?'

Alice shook her head excitedly. 'Can't wait, myself,' she said. 'I know it's been only a couple of weeks, but it feels like its been forever. Frankly, I can't wait to be alone in the castle again. Alone with Frank, I mean,' she added, suddenly going pink in the face as Frank gave her a bemused look.

'Yeah, I don't need Sirius' encouragement when I'm in the bathroom,' James muttered to a roar of laughter and a repulsed look from Lily. 'Well, honestly!' he said. 'It's like having an Apparition instructor in there with you! Destination, Determination, and Deliberation, James!'

Alice was nearly crying with laughter, the rest of the group laughing right along with her. They carried on well into the evening, finally calming somewhat to allow the others a chance to finish their homework. Frank and Alice stalked off to the other side of the common room with their broom kits, although James wasn't sure how much servicing of brooms was going on. He and Lily sat in front of the fire.

'Bit of a difference, doing this earlier,' James said with a smile.

Lily nodded. 'Might have to become a habit—not sure how many nights I can get by on such little sleep,' she replied.

James cast a glance over at Frank and Alice. 'So—do you remember our bet?'

Lily chuckled. 'Don't go counting your chickens before they've hatched, Potter,' she said, but James was pleased to see her cheeks go slightly pink.

'One of these days you'll come to realize, Evans, that I'm more observant than you give me credit for.'

'It's only too bad that Hogwarts doesn't offer Divination at the moment,' Lily said dryly. 'I'm sure you'd make an excellent Seer with that Inner Eye. Pity it didn't help you avoid having the bones removed from your arm,' she added with a wink.

James grinned. 'My Inner Eye is, unfortunately, somewhat blind to the work of idiots,' he said.

Lily laughed. 'So? Is the great James Potter nervous for the big game tomorrow?'

James pursed his lips. 'Can I be honest?'

Lily blinked, surprise flashing across her face. 'You're nervous?'

'Not for me,' James said earnestly. 'For Dorcas and Cresswell. Win or lose, this is their last game at Hogwarts. There's something weird about that,' he said, staring into the fire. His mind drifted back to the stirring speech that Dorcas had given before their last game. It sat heavily in his stomach like a rock.

Lily looked thoughtful. 'It is odd that they won't be around next year,' she said at last. 'Will you keep in touch with them?'

'Oh for sure,' James said. 'She'll always be my Captain,' he said with a grin. 'I'll always appreciate her advice.'

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'This is just getting weird,' she said. 'First you confess you're nervous, then you admit that you actually sought someone's advice? What did you ask for advice about?'

'On running races,' James said carefully. He omitted what exactly the prize of the race in question was—Lily herself.

Lily looked predictably confused. 'Since when do you run races?'

'I've been in one for three years now,' James continued cryptically, enjoying how puzzled Lily looked. 'She advised me that being able to run a marathon was more impressive than running a hundred meter dash.'

Lily looked utterly perplexed. 'I suppose that's right…is there a metaphor I'm missing?'

'Yep,' James said happily and she glared at him. 'Oh, don't even dream of it—I'm not telling. That's confidential information between Quidditch teammates,' he said.

'Oh really?' Lily said in a suggestive voice. 'Well, what if I just asked her about it?'

James grinned. 'You don't get to be a Quidditch Captain by ignoring the rules about confidential information between Quidditch teammates,' he lied smoothly.

Lily sighed. 'Will you ever tell me?'

'Maybe one day,' James replied.

'One day when?'

James shrugged. 'I'll tell you when I win the race,' he said with a smile. It slid from his face as he reflected on her talk again. 'We're somewhat insulated here, you know,' he said quietly. 'From what's going on out there. From Voldemort.'

Lily nodded. 'That has a lot to do with Dumbledore, I think,' she said. 'The Daily Prophet hasn't exactly been shy about discussing what's going on with that. They reckon he's scared of Dumbledore.'

'Smart one, that Voldemort,' James muttered sarcastically. Lily raised her eyebrows and James smiled confidently. 'You didn't see him against Rochefort on the train last year. Dumbledore made minced meat of several Death Eaters in only a few seconds. Rochefort must have left a yellow streak about a mile long behind him when he fled.'

Lily chuckled and then looked serious again. 'And what about you and Rochefort?' she asked.

James shrugged. 'Who knows,' he sighed. 'My family is pulling all sorts of strings trying to make sure I'll be safe when I get out of school. Like you said, I don't think they'd try anything while I'm still here…but once we're out of here, and into the open, he might try something.'

'Are you frightened?' Lily asked quietly.

James shook his head. 'No,' he said. When Lily looked sceptical, he shook his head again. 'Really, I'm not. I think I should be. But then I think of Professor Bowen. I think of Frank's family. I think of my family, I think of yours—of everyone they've attacked,' he said. 'After that, it all becomes easier.'

'You mean to fight him,' Lily said. It was a statement, not a question.

'I think it's going to come to that. He'll want it to be slow.'

'What makes you think that?' Lily asked.

'He's a sadist. You've seen him. The way he had Sirius tortured to drag us out into the open, the way he goes after people's families rather than just the people themselves…he doesn't exactly make things easy on himself. He wants to cause as much pain as possible. He'll want me to suffer a great deal.'

Lily pursed her lips. 'Well, don't give him the chance. I mean it, Potter—you should be careful, stick close to your parents and whatever Ministry people they send to guard you.'

James laughed. 'You worried about me, Evans?' he asked.

'Yes. I am,' she said bluntly.

James smiled. 'I'll be all right, Evans. Don't worry. It's him that should be worried.'

'You don't know what you're saying,' Lily said. 'He may be insane, but he's also powerful. Better people than us have died fighting him.'

James nodded. 'I know,' he said. 'If it ever comes to a fight, I'll have a few surprises up my sleeve.'

'You're being maddeningly cryptic tonight,' Lily said. 'Like what?'

James shook his head. 'Again, if it ever comes to that and I manage to walk away…well, you'll know.'

'Don't go looking for him,' Lily said evenly. 'Potter.' He looked at her. 'Please,' she said quietly. 'Don't go looking for him. I want your word.'

James smiled at her. 'Lily,' he said quietly and she flushed to a full red color. 'I give you my word I won't go looking for him.'

A heavy object flopped onto the seat next to James. 'Done,' Sirius sighed heavily. 'The next time I pick up a quill, it'll be to scratch Professor McGonagall's name off of my Christmas card list.'

'You have a Christmas card list?' James asked in amusement.

'You don't think I only send you a Christmas card each year, do you?' Sirius said with a wide grin.

Lily stood up, still looking red. 'I'm going to go to bed early, I think. Potter, you should too. Big game tomorrow,' she said and she left quickly—but not before she grabbed Alice by the arm and half-dragged her up the staircase to the girls' dormitory, leaving Frank looking utterly bewildered.

'What was that about?' Sirius asked.

James shrugged. 'Talking about races,' he said quietly.


	31. Rules and Futures

31

It wasn't until nearly ten in the morning on Saturday that James awoke. Contrary to many previous Quidditch matches, the Quidditch Cup this year had been scheduled for noon. James lay awake in bed for several moments, trying to think of a time where he had slept more soundly. In spite of his fretting the previous day about Dorcas and Cresswell, he had found it quite easy to drift off to sleep. For once, his dreams were not dominated by memories of Gilles Rochefort. Instead, they had been occupied by Quidditch and Lily Evans.

Keeping that pleasant thought centered in his mind, James hopped up out of bed and began to stretch. He felt energized, alert and excited. Gone was any sense of nervousness, replaced by anticipation. The anticipation of facing off against Gryffindor's most heated rival, of facing off against his own most heated rival in Severus Snape.

He quietly dressed into his gear and grabbed his broom, sliding out of the dormitory. Sirius was still snoring loudly in his bed, and Peter was visible through the curtains of his own four poster slumbering away. Remus was the only one who was not in his bed at the moment. James emerged from his dormitory and stepped down the stairs into the common room and found Remus—he was standing by the fire with Lily, talking animatedly as they shared from a plate of breakfast crumpets.

'Been sneaking off to the kitchen without me?' James asked happily.

Remus chuckled. 'You don't eat before games,' he pointed out.

'True,' James replied. 'What has you two up so early?'

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'It's ten AM,' she said.

'Too right it is,' James said with another stretch. 'I enjoy sleeping in longer. I need my beauty sleep, you know.'

'Clearly you need more of it,' Lily said dryly. Remus nearly inhaled his crumpet, and James joined them both in laughing. He cast his gaze across the room. Once more, Alice and Frank were huddled by the staircase to the girls' dormitory, only this time, they actually were cleaning their brooms. James sauntered over to them.

'So?' James said confidently. 'You two ready?'

'You'd better believe it,' Frank said. Alice looked up at James and for a moment, she had a curious expression on her face. But it faded almost immediately as she broke into a grin.

'This is going to top last year,' she said.

James pursed his lips, remembering suddenly how Alice and Lily had disappeared together last night. 'Everything alright, Dearborn?' he asked.

Alice looked perfectly innocent. 'Of course it is,' she said. 'What couldn't be alright? The sun is shining, the wind is mild, the perfect combination for a Quidditch Match. And I get to beat little Regulus Black to the Snitch…pity I can't remove the bones in his arms at the same time,' she added.

Frank chuckled. 'You're such a little hellion,' he said.

'But you love that about me,' Alice said off handedly as she cleaned her broom. Frank's ears turned red and he began to studiously clean his own broom as well. James smirked and walked back over to where Remus and Lily were talking.

'No sign of the others?' James asked.

'Your teammates?' Remus asked with a shake of his head. 'I wouldn't expect the Twins until the last minute, and I haven't seen a sniff of Dorcas or Cresswell this morning.'

James frowned. 'That's odd. She's usually the first one awake. You sure she didn't sneak past you at some point?'

'Positive,' Lily replied. 'We've been up since about seven.'

'She could just be relaxing in the Head Girl dormitory,' Remus pointed out.

James shrugged. 'I'll go down and see how she's doing. If we don't come back up here, I'll see you lot down at the pitch!' he said. He grabbed his broom as he headed towards the portrait hole. He heard a loud crash and a bang behind him and turned to see Sirius tumble down the staircase from the boys' dormitory. He was quite a site, half dressed in his robes with an eclaire in one hand.

'Wait!' he shouted as he disentangled himself at the bottom of the staircase, ignoring the laughter from the others present. 'Are you mad—you can't go off alone! If they remove any more bones from your arm, Meadowes may remove my head!' he added as he arrived at James' side, looking perturbed.

James laughed. 'Sorry, I forgot,' he said.

'YOU forgot? Did you forget how much re-growing bones hurts?' Sirius snapped.

James chuckled again. 'Sorry, Mum,' he said. 'Come on—I was just going to find the Captain,' he said and they stepped out into the hallway together. 'I appreciate it, Sirius, I do. But you didn't need to throw yourself down the staircase.'

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Right, because I did that on purpose,' he muttered, rubbing his backside as they walked. 'You slept well last night,' he added.

James raised his eyebrows. 'You're still checking on me?' he asked.

'It's what I do,' Sirius gruffed as he yawned. 'You don't exactly do a bang up job of looking after yourself, you know. Someone's got to do the heavy lifting around here.' The words were somewhat harsh, but his tone was light.

'It's a job I'd trust to no one but you, Sirius,' James said, clapping him on the back. Sirius winced and James withdrew his hand. 'Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?' he asked.

'Course not,' Sirius muttered. 'Just waiting for my right buttock to stop throbbing.'

The two of them laughed as they descended the stairs into the Great Hall. Students were already making their way out the doors to head down to the Quidditch Pitch; even though the game was more than an hour and a half away, students liked to get the prime seats close to the action. James was so focused on the crowd that he very nearly ran into Madam Bones, who was emerging from the breakfast hall.

'Good morning,' she said, taking in Sirius and James in one glance.

'Good morning, Madam Bones,' James and Sirius said back in unison.

Madam Bones' usually severe face split into the smallest of smiles. 'Ideal weather conditions today, Potter. Make sure you use that to your advantage.'

'Are you a Quidditch player?' James asked in surprise.

'Not since I was a student here,' Bones replied. 'I do miss the excitement of game day, that's for sure. I made a friendly wager with Professor Slughorn on the outcome of today's game.' She narrowed her eyes at James. 'I would certainly loathe to have to pay up.' She then winked and walked off towards the pitch.

Sirius shook his head in amazement. 'This game brings out the best in some people,' he said with a chuckle. They continued on to the base of the Astronomy Tower until they reached the portrait of Sir Cadogan.

'Halt, you knaves! Thou cannot enter unless you have the password!' he declared.

Sirius frowned. 'Any ideas?' he asked.

James looked thoughtful. 'Quidditch would be too easy,' he mused. Sir Cadogan paced back and forth in his portrait fame anxiously, periodically pointing his sword at them. 'That's very distracting, you know,' James chastised.

'All the better to ward off ne'er do wells!' Sir Cadogan snapped.

'Mental,' Sirius muttered.

'Are you insulting me?' Sir Cadogan charged.

'Yes, I suppose I am,' Sirius replied.

Sir Cadogan was on the verge of replying when the portrait hole opened. Dorcas stood there in her full Quidditch gear, but she had an odd look on her face. 'Potter? Black? What are you two doing down here?'

'Checking on you,' James replied. 'You're normally the first one awake. Is everything okay?'

'Fine! Yes, fine,' Dorcas said hastily. 'I'll be up in a few minutes.'

James noticed she was keeping the portrait hole half closed. He frowned. 'Are we interrupting something?' he asked.

From the color her face turned, James knew he had struck gold. He didn't wait—calling on his Quidditch reflexes, he quickly ducked under Dorcas' arm and into the Head dormitory. Sitting on a comfortable chair by the fire strapping on his flying boots was Cresswell. If he was bothered at all by James' arrival, he was superbly good at hiding it. 'Morning, Potter,' he said indifferently.

James looked at Cresswell, and then back at Dorcas, who was still standing in the doorway looking mortified. Sirius' face showed an expression of dawning comprehension at the sight before them.

'Well,' James said with a smirk.

Dorcas found her voice. 'Don't even start with me!' she hissed. 'You're not supposed to be here!'

'Neither's he,' Sirius said, pointing at Cresswell from the hallway. Dorcas quickly tugged the portrait hole shut once more, a muffled 'HEY!' coming from Sirius on the other side.

'Look, Potter, please—' Dorcas began.

James held up his arms. 'I won't say a word,' he said, smirking in spite of himself.

'Then why do you look so—so—mischievous?' Dorcas spluttered.

James laughed. 'Come on, of all the things to walk into, this is pretty good,' James said.

Cresswell stood. 'It's no big deal, Dori, he can be trusted.'

James looked at Dorcas who turned an even deeper shade of red. 'Dori?' he asked.

'I'm warning you,' she said dangerously.

James laughed. 'I'm just glad you two are alright. I'll see you at the pitch,' he added and he stepped past Dorcas who looked as if she wanted to crawl into a crack in the floor and stay there and stepped out of the portrait hole. He closed it carefully behind him before facing Sirius who was looking at him in wide eyed amazement.

'Picked a fine night for it,' Sirius said in a tone trembling with suppressed laughter.

James bit his fist. 'Let's go before they hear us,' he said.

'I can still hear you!' Dorcas' voice came shrilly from the other side of the door and they broke into a run away from it, laughing as they ran.

A short while later, James found himself in the dressing room. Sirius had insisted on escorting James down before dashing off to find his seat. James was alone for a few moments when he arrived, and he circled the room like a tiger in a cage. Nameplates hung above the stalls of everyone who was on the team. The hilarity of walking in on Dorcas and Cresswell faded from his mind as James walked around, looking at all of the nameplates in turn. First, there was Dorcas, the Captain. James knew it was a Quidditch title, but he felt hard pressed to think of a way in which Dorcas was not a leader. She exemplified leadership qualities and, for an older student, she was remarkably easy to get on with for people of all ages. James idly wondered what the future had in store for her.

Next was Cresswell, the other seventh year on the team. Always enigmatic and aloof, Cresswell never seemed to go out of his way to do much of anything. What he was like behind closed doors, James had no idea – but he knew that Cresswell had a natural knack for stepping up when he was needed most. James had seen it time and again on the Quidditch pitch, and he wondered if that extended to all areas of Cresswell's life. He obviously had talents that he didn't brag about—where would those talents take him once he was outside of Hogwarts?

The next two stalls belonged to the Prewetts. James smiled in spite of himself. Gideon and Fabian, the life of the party. The identical Twins had a tremendous talent for tomfoolery, much as he and the Marauders did. His mind briefly flashed to the battle on the train at the end of his second year, where the two of them had battled five Death Eaters at once. James had only seen it for a brief moment, but he still marvelled in his mind's eye at the tremendous duelling skill they had displayed, using each other in tandem like no pair he had ever seen before. They seemed to have a sixth sense of where the other was at all times, and used that skill to both beat back opponents and pull each other out of harm's way.

They'd make excellent Dark Wizard catchers, James thought to himself. They didn't necessarily apply themselves in academia, but then, neither did James. As far as James was concerned, there was only so much that one's grades could really impact an obvious natural talent. The Twins seemed to succeed at everything they tried at—why not becoming Aurors?

And on that thought, he arrived at Frank Longbottom's stall. If there was someone destined to be an Auror, it was most certainly Frank. Frank who in his first year of school had completed nearly four years of work; Frank who applied himself in study more than anyone James had known, the supremely intelligent Lily Evans included. Frank, who had forgotten more about Defense against the Dark Arts than James had likely learned to this point. James felt a small glimmer of pride in the fact that he had gotten Frank to slow down and enjoy the scenery once in a while – to not grow up too fast.

And that scenery included Alice Dearborn. James looked at the nameplate over her stall and shook his head with a smile. Star-crossed lovers who were blissfully unaware of the fact that they were destined to be together. His mind flickered briefly to the bet he had made with Lily, and for a moment, he wondered what the outcome of the game could bring. Could Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup for the second straight year? Would Alice and Frank, in a moment of sheer elation, finally share that first kiss? The kiss that had been robbed of them over the Christmas holidays by none other than Lord Voldemort himself? And would Lily Evans finally consent (even if it was because of an obligation due to a bet) to give James a real shot?

James shook his head as if to dislodge the thoughts. He couldn't afford to start thinking about the end of the story when it hadn't begun yet. He needed to focus on the here and now; the match came first.

Finally, James stood in front of his stall and stared at his name plate. James Potter. He sighed as he stared at the name. What would become of him? What did his life have in store? He was barely halfway through his tenure at Hogwarts, and he couldn't help wondering what life outside of it was like. Would he, Sirius, Remus and Peter still get to spend so much time together? What career would James find appealing? Would he work for the Ministry like his parents had done? Would he dedicate himself to defeating Lord Voldemort, like so many were gearing up to do? Would his Quidditch talents be recognized enough to become a professional, like Dorcas could?

Would Lily Evans ever really give him a shot? Would they have a future together?

Another thought whispered in the back of his head – would anyone have a future? Who's to say that the right side will win? Who's to say that Voldemort isn't already powerful enough to destroy everything that James held dear, to murder everyone he cared about, and to complete his takeover of the Ministry?

James set his jaw. I can't worry about this now, he thought to himself. I have to focus on what's in front of me. I have to focus on what I can control. Right now, that's winning the Quidditch Cup. Someday, it will be fighting Rochefort. And maybe someday after that, it will be coming face to face with Voldemort.

'Right now, it's Quidditch,' James whispered to himself as he stared at his own nameplate. The door to the dressing room opened and James looked up to see Dorcas enter alone. 'Alright, Captain?' he asked.

Dorcas sighed. 'Look, Potter—that was stupid. I shouldn't have broken the rules, you shouldn't have seen that—' she began.

'Captain, shut it,' James said firmly. Dorcas looked as if he'd slapped her. 'Seriously. You said yourself before the last game that we can't afford to think that the best is still to come. We can't afford not to live in the now.' He looked at her evenly. 'So really—good for you. And the only thing that I think would be stupid is if you walked around thinking what you did was stupid. It wasn't. You can't waste any time.'

Dorcas' mouth opened and closed for a moment. Then she stepped forward and pulled James into a rough embrace. 'I'm going to miss you, Potter,' she said in a strained voice. 'I'm not kidding. You're like the little brother I never had.'

James grinned into his Captain's shoulder. His mind idly wandered to the fact that, despite being four years her junior, he was as tall as she was. 'I'll always be around, Captain. Now let's win you another Cup.'


	32. Cups and Climaxes

32

Like most Gryffindor Quidditch matches, the build up to the Quidditch Cup was electric. James and his teammates moved about the dressing room in silence, listening to the already deafening roar of the crowds above them. The stomping of feet, the clapping of hands, the shouting of team cheers, all well in advance of the match starting enriched the atmosphere.

James stared across the dressing room and pursed his lips. For a brief moment, he wondered what the Slytherins were doing in their room. Whether they were drawing up some sort last minute game plan that involved injuring as many Gryffindors as possible. He ran through the roster in his head mentally once more; Flint, the Slytherin keeper who was—in James' opinion—the most talented player on the team. If he was honest with himself, Flint was probably the closest in skill to Dorcas of any of the keepers in the school.

The Beaters were comprised of Snape and Crabbe; Crabbe had of course taken James by surprise with his speed during their first match, but this was not a mistake that James intended to replicate in the Quidditch Cup. Snape, of course, would be looking for any opportunity to inflict damage upon the Gryffindor team, James chief among them.

The three Chasers were a burly trio—Rosier, Mulciber and Avery. Rosier could fly decently, but the only reason that James could think of for employing Mulciber and Avery on the team was to injure other players. They needed to have a close eye kept on them.

Dorcas stood up suddenly and all eyes flicked to her. Gideon and Fabian had been uncharacteristically quiet; James knew they all were as this was Dorcas' final game at Hogwarts, win or lose. Cresswell for once didn't have the lazy look of nonchalance that was commonplace on his face—he looked alert and attentive as Dorcas smiled uneasily at them all.

'This is it, everyone,' she said. 'I don't know that I can really say much more than I said before our last match. So I won't try to say more. I'm going to keep this simple. You know what I think about the world outside. You know that I think we need to make every second count, and you know that I think we need to live in the moment. That's all Quidditch is, that's all our lives are—a series of moments, pressed together, each one of them challenging you and pushing you in a new way and forcing you to react and better yourself continuously to keep taking them.

'When the moments have passed, they become memories,' Dorcas said, looking at Frank and Alice. 'And the memories define what our lives have been to that point. They are what allow us to feel pride in a job well done, or regret for missing an opportunity,' she said with a flicker of a glance from Alice to Frank. James noticed Frank's ears go slightly red again.

'The best memories of all are the ones you share with friends and family. Whether it's memories made privately between two people…' her eyes flicked to Cresswell who smiled encouragingly, '…or memories made with people who know how to have a good time…' she looked at the Twins who gave her identical thumbs up, '…or memories made with friends who are like your family,' she went on with a glance at James, 'these are the things we can cherish, the things that we can draw on for strength. Much like a Patronus Charm is conjured, we can push back the darkness of the world around us by remembering those we love and those who love us, the good times we have had, the victories we have shared…that's what we have to strive for.

'So team—this is my last game. This is my last game as your Captain. Let's go out and make a memory,' she said, solidly clapping her hands together. Gideon and Fabian leapt to their feet, whooping and hollering in turn as they grabbed their brooms. Cresswell walked over to Dorcas and gave her shoulder the briefest of squeezes before standing in front of the door. James cast a glance at Frank and Alice who embraced tightly for a moment before falling into line behind Cresswell, quickly followed by the Twins. James looked at Dorcas and offered his most confident smile.

'Let's go get them, Captain,' he said.

And they were off.

They emerged onto the pitch in single file to a massive cheer from the crowd. The vocal Slytherin contingent that booed their arrival was drowned out by the combined voices of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students, who were all steadfastly in Gryffindor's corner. They arrived at the center of the pitch where Madam Hooch was waiting. The sound of the crowd changed as Slytherin began to emerge, trotting out onto the field to a chorus of jeers and catcalls from the majority, with words of encouragement and praise being hurled their way from the outnumbered Slytherins.

Regulus waved an arm tauntingly at James and mimed it turning into a wet noodle. James' eyes narrowed at Sirius' younger brother; he was beginning to see why Sirius detested him so much. Mulciber and Avery found Regulus' little act highly amusing and laughed loudly. James saw Gideon and Fabian brandishing their bats threateningly.

'Trying to intimidate us?' Mulciber taunted.

Gideon laughed. 'Strong words from the team that lost the Cup last year.'

'Who did they lose to, Gideon?' Fabian asked sarcastically.

'I can't rightly recall—clearly a team of superior talent and intelligence,' Gideon said as Mulciber fumed.

'Things change,' Avery growled.

'Some things do,' Fabian corrected. 'But some things don't. We'll let our play decide which does which,' he said, spitting on the ground between them.

Madam Hooch arrived. 'Enough,' she said, as Mulciber had taken a step forward. 'Each of you to your own sides of the pitch. Any pre-game rough housing and you will be disqualified,' she said severely. She stepped back between Dorcas and Flint. Flint was eyeing Dorcas with intense dislike, while she looked back at him with superb disregard. She must have been taking lessons from Cresswell on how to do that.

'Let's see a good clean game,' Madam Hooch said. 'Captains, shake hands.'

Dorcas extended her arm but Flint ignored it. Madam Hooch seemed to think it would be asking for a miracle to get him to extend her hand as she turned to Dorcas. 'Good enough. On your brooms—everyone set? Here we go!'

James had mounted his broom at her instruction and not a moment to soon, as the box was opened and the various objects inside soared into the air. James caught a brief glimpse of the Snitch before it zoomed away, and then he was off, roaring after the Quaffle. He got to it quickly and doubled back towards his own end of the pitch, looking behind him. Mulciber and Avery were converging on him, but Mulciber was suddenly struck in the side by a bludger. He nearly fell off his broom and spun away as Gideon swooped in to retrieve the bludger he had sent. Fabian whacked one at Avery who veered off.

James spotted Cresswell flying away from Dorcas up the middle of the pitch. He hurled the Quaffle and caught Cresswell in midflight as he soared towards Snape and Crabbe. He juked to the side and then dropped the Quaffle down where Frank—seemingly out of nowhere—shot onto the quaffle and zoomed in behind the Slytherin beaters. The crowd collectively drew its breath as Frank faked to shoot at the right hoop, a fake that Flint bought for the briefest of seconds. That delay allowed Frank to deposit the Quaffle through the left most hoop, giving Gryffindor the first lead of the game.

The crowd roared appreciatively and James thought his hearing might be permanently damaged from it. He veered back defensively as Snape grabbed the quaffle and began zooming up the pitch. James frowned—in all the games they had played, Snape had never rushed the quaffle, and it was uncharacteristic of a beater to do so. Cresswell zoomed towards him but he was bumped sideway by Crabbe, who was also flying up with Snape. He whacked a bludger towards Frank, who had also been coming forward.

James' eyes narrowed and he leaned down tight to his broom, rocketing towards them at top speed. He saw Crabbe's eyes widen in surprise. He veered away slightly and James swerved sideways, bumping Snape hard.

He became aware of a sudden pain in his head and he was very nearly wrenched from his broom. Snape had passed the quaffle and grabbed a fistful of James' hair, and was trying very hard to shake James off his broom. James yelled in a mixture of anger and agony as they sank through the air, struggling with one another.

'Geroff, you cowardly little—' James barked.

'DON'T CALL ME A COWARD!' Snape roared.

James' fist lashed out and he felt it solidly connect with Snape's midsection, causing his grip to slacken. James yanked his head free and kicked out with his boot, knocking Snape away. He looked around for Madam Hooch, who was distracted by a skirmish near the Gryffindor goal. Crabbe had hit a bludger at Dorcas, causing the Twins to converge upon him threateningly. Madam Hooch had not seen Snape's attempts at skulduggery.

'You're going to need to step your game up, Potter,' Snape snarled.

'One of these days maybe you'll stop fighting like a girl,' James countered. He flew back towards his own hoop where Dorcas had the quaffle. She hurled it forwards and he caught it. James' eyes narrowed and he flew back up the pitch. Madam Hooch was still sorting out Crabbe and the Twins, so they were not involved in the play. Snape was the only beater back, and he had a bludger which he seemed to be timing for James.

James veered in towards the center of the pitch, flying directly at Snape. For a moment, Snape smiled triumphantly—he seemed to think that James was going to try and bowl him over again. But a few moments before impact, James passed the quaffle sideways to Frank, who had once again streaked in unnoticed. He zoomed in alone on Flint and scored once more, to another great roar from the crowd.

'Who were you calling a coward?' Snape shouted.

'Time and place, Snivelly—you go ahead and play coward, I'm playing Quidditch,' James called back, grinning as he did so. The more he could throw Snape off his game, the better.

The skirmish at the other end had been sorted out, and the Slytherins flew out as one large unit. Rosier carried the Quaffle in the middle, surrounded by Crabbe, Mulciber and Avery. Gideon and Fabian hit their bludgers simultaneously, but the group was able to avoid Gideon's while Crabbe batted Fabian's away. They approached the hoops and suddenly scattered, forcing the Gryffindor defense back and allowing Rosier to roar in alone on Dorcas. He faked to the right and shot left, but Dorcas had anticipated it perfectly, stretching out to catch it with the tips of her fingers.

The crowd screamed with delight, and then again in horror—James had to look around to see what had happened. His stomach lurched as he saw Gideon falling to the ground below from his broom, caught at the last moment by Madam Hooch. He was bleeding from his head. James knew a brief moment of confusion before Fabian whipped past him. James looked up to see Fabian leap from his broom onto Crabbe, tackling him from his own. Fortunately they were only about ten feet off the ground. They landed in a tangled heap. Fabian managed to hurl the bigger Crabbe off of him and then jumped on top of him, raining punches down on every available inch. James zoomed forwards to help but he hit a shield charm cast by Madam Hooch as she stormed in towards the two, blasting Fabian off with a disarming charm.

'Disqualified!' she shouted. 'No fighting is allowed in Quidditch!'

'Get real, Hooch!' Fabian snarled. 'He hit a bludger at Gideon after the goal was scored! Play was dead!'

'I didn't see it—' Hooch said.

'It was an accident,' Crabbe said with a smirk.

'My saggy left—' Fabian began, 'HEY,' Hooch shouted, '—it was an accident!' Fabian went on. 'He's killed my brother, Madam Hooch!'

'Gideon will be fine. You are still disqualified.'

'What about Crabbe?' James shouted, aghast.

'Being attacked is not sufficient grounds for disqualification, Potter. Now get back in the air, you too, Crabbe!'

Dorcas had arrived next to James. 'You can't be serious! With Gideon injured and you tossing Fabian out, we won't have any beaters!'

'All the more reason that Mr. Prewett should have thought of his team before attacking Mr. Crabbe,' Madam Hooch said stiffly.

'You miserable old besom!' Fabian cried.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle. 'Any more lip out of you and I will award a penalty to Slytherin, and don't think I won't! Get off my pitch, now!' she shouted. Fabian looked as if that was a reasonable price to pay to say what was on his mind, but Frank was suddenly there. How he got through the shield charm, James did not know.

'It's alright, Fabian. We've got this, Gideon will be fine. Get him up to the hospital wing,' he said. 'Just leave it.'

Fabian looked like he wanted to argue but he stormed over in a huff to where Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall were tending to Gideon.

'Back in the air, you lot,' Madam Hooch warned. Dorcas swore under her breath and flew back to her hoops. 'Slytherin gets possession,' Hooch declared, tossing the quaffle back up to Snape.

The crowd booed violently, and some debris was thrown down onto the pitch. James, Frank and Cresswell fell back to defend their hoops as they Slytherins swarmed towards them. 'Defend the hoops, we have to hope Alice can catch the snitch,' Cresswell said.

'She won't let us down, so let's not let her down,' Frank said.

James launched forward to try and attack Snape, who was carrying the quaffle. Crabbe hit a bludger straight at James, which he had to veer aside to dodge. Rosier, Mulciber and Avery streaked forwards to overwhelm Frank and Cresswell, allowing Snape to zoom in on Dorcas. He whipped the quaffle with surprising speed towards the right most hoop, but Dorcas was equal to the task, batting it away with her right arm. The crowd 'oooo'd' in response. James grabbed the quaffle and quickly hurled it as far away as he could down the pitch, causing the Slytherins to go back to retrieve it. He cast a glance upwards at the Seekers; they were both still circling the pitch, Alice looking alertly for the snitch.

'Here they come again!' Frank called. This time, Rosier was holding the quaffle. Snape and Crabbe slammed the bludgers forward. James and Cresswell batted them aside, but Mulciber and Avery had launched towards them at the same time. They bodychecked them solidly aside, allowing Rosier and Snape to roar in two-on-nothing against Dorcas. Rosier flew out to the far left and hurled the quaffle to Snape, who didn't stop to catch it, he merely battled it towards the far right hoop.

James could scarcely believe his eyes—Dorcas held her broom in one hand and, with incredible strength and dexterity, held herself horizontally off her broom as she streaked sideways and kicked the quaffle away with her toes in a desperation save. The crowds roared below at the eye-popping move, and James had to consciously remind himself to grab the quaffle and hurl it away once more.

'DOR-CAS! DOR-CAS!' the crowd was chanting, and the Slytherins were fuming. Again and again they came at the Gryffindor goal, trying in combinations of solo breaks, and two and three-on-nothings, but Dorcas was equal to the task each time, keeping the score stubbornly at 20-0.

Another rush came their way. The bludgers soared at them, but James was ready this time. He zoomed forwards to greet them, sliding between the two of them. They grazed his sides as he did so. He then soared over the aggressive chasers and found himself face to face with a surprised Snape. Snape had not bothered protecting the quaffle at all, anticipating an easy path to the Gryffindor hoop. James took the quaffle from his outstretched hand and soared off down the pitch, completely alone from before the halfway mark, as he zoomed towards Flint.

James grinned as he flew in and things seemed to slow down for him. Flint tried hard to stay with him, but James was moving to fast, juking from side to side. He hurled the quaffle for the left-most hoop and heard a satisfying clang as it rang off the inside of the hoop and in to make it 30-0. The crowd leapt to its feet, screaming ecstatically as James turned around, pointing at Snape who was coming back towards him. 'That one was just for you, Snivellus!' James said.

Snape shouted a string of expletives but the smile vanished from James' face—Regulus had just launched into a vertical climb and James could see, about a hundred yards above him, a glint of light.

'ALICE!' he shouted, hearing the same cry echo from his teammates, but she was already in motion. James would not have believed anyone could move that fast, but Alice was moving like she had been shot out of a canon. She had picked her angle better than Regulus, and was ascending faster than him. The whole pitch had stopped moving, everyone watching as Alice quickly overtook Regulus.

In desperation, Regulus grabbed her broom to prevent her moving forward. Alice braced her foot on the top of Regulus' broom, preventing him from leapfrogging her. He tried to dislodge her with his other hand as they inched closer and closer to the snitch. Suddenly, James saw two bludgers soar up towards them. 'ALICE, LOOKOUT!' James cried, but they both found their mark. One struck Alice in the lower back, the other on her outstretched arm. The crowd roared angrily, but that turned to amazement as Alice continued doggedly on, her all consuming goal to grab the snitch. Regulus frantically tried to shake her off her broom with his free hand, but she closed her hand on the snitch.

The stadium erupted in glee and Regulus let go of the broom in disgust. Alice sagged down onto her broom, the impact of the bludgers seeming to catch up with her. She descended slowly down towards the pitch, and she was about twenty feet off the ground when her teammates surrounded here. 'DEARBORN, THAT WAS BRILLIANT!' shouted Dorcas.

'AMAZING!' Cresswell shouted, the most excited by far James had ever seen him.

'YOU WON US THE CUP!' James shouted over the increasing roar as they touched down.

'Are you alright?' Frank asked earnestly.

Alice held up her arm, and the amazement of the catch became even more clear—her wrist was grotesquely mangled, and clearly broken. She had somehow managed to work her hand anyway to make the catch. 'I'm golden,' she said happily.

'Your wrist—' Frank said.

'Will heal,' Alice said as they were suddenly surrounded by the crowd. James was buffeted from either side by a jubilant Sirius and Remus, Peter jumped on his back and ruffled his hair. Lily hugged Alice from behind and a crying Professor McGonagall embraced Dorcas, who cried right back. James caught Lily's eye and grinned. She grinned back—the most elated grin he had ever seen her wear on her face, and it was like looking at a Christmas tree. Her eyes glowed as she smiled at him.

'Congratulations, everyone, on a splendid game,' came the magically magnified voice of Albus Dumbledore. 'May I invite the woman who just made the game-winning catch, Ms. Alice Dearborn, to come and collect the trophy?'

'I can't hold it,' Alice said as she stepped forward.

'I'm with you,' Frank said, going behind her. James, Cresswell and Dorcas fell into step behind the two of them. They were a few feet away from the Cup when Alice halted. 'Are you alright?' Frank asked.

'Frank,' Alice said in a voice that James had to stray to hear.

'Yes?' Frank asked worriedly.

Alice turned away from Dumbledore and the trophy and looked Frank in the eyes. 'Kiss me, please,' she said suddenly.

James' jaw dropped. Cresswell guffawed and Dorcas hiccoughed. For a moment, James thought Frank was going to pass out. But in the next second, he had swept Alice off her feet into an embrace and their lips met. Alice's strong hand curled around the back of his neck and ran through his hair. If it was possible, the crowd roared louder than it had when she had made the catch as she and Frank stood in the middle of the pitch, sharing what might have been the most passionate kiss James had ever witnessed in his life.

'Now that's a memory,' Dorcas hollered as they finally broke apart, each gasping for breath. Alice was pink in the face, and Frank looked as if he had just discovered fire.

'Now we can go get that trophy,' Alice breathed.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. 'This hardly seems like the real prize anymore, in light of that,' he said, his voice magically magnified once again. 'But come get it anyway!'

The Gryffindors surrounded the trophy. Frank clasped one side in one hand, and Alice clasped the other side in her good hand. They hoisted it over their heads, allowing James, Cresswell and Dorcas to touch the sides of it as the two of them fell into a kiss once more.

It was not long into the evening when the portrait hole opened and the Twins emerged. Gideon's head was heavily bandaged, but Fabian was brandishing a box butterbeer and fire whisky. The team was still in their Quidditch gear and excitedly recounted the tale of events, culminating with a chant for Frank and Alice to re-enact the climactic kiss, which they did to another raucous round of applause.

Everyone wanted to talk to the Quidditch stars—to tell them how the game looked from their seat, each story slightly unique in terms of angst and ecstasy. Mary McDonald suggested a walk through the corridors which James politely declined as he needed to talk to Sirius about an assignment. When he discovered Sirius engaged in a mad liplock with Marlene McKinnon, he clarified that he had meant Remus who was thankfully not engaged with the female persuasion.

'Enjoying the evening?' Remus said, smirking at Mary as she walked away in disappointment. 'I worry about her. One of these days she may try drugging you.'

James sighed. 'She is remarkably persistent,' he muttered.

'Not unlike you,' Remus said, his smirk deepening.

'Oh come on, I'm not like that!'

Remus chuckled. 'What's it like living in the great state of denial?' he asked. James cuffed him. 'Well, you have made some progress, I'll give you that,' he added. 'Where is Lily, anyway?'

James looked around the room. 'Maybe she'd hiding out because she knows I'll collect,' he laughed.

'A likely possibility,' Remus said.

James scanned the room again – there truthfully was no sign of Lily. He frowned and crossed the room to where Frank and Alice were talking next to the staircase. 'Er—sorry to interrupt...' he said. They were currently engaged in another passionate embrace.

'What's up?' Alice asked dreamily. Frank didn't even look up at James, letting his eyes linger on Alice.

'I—er—I was wondering if you'd seen Lily,' James said.

Alice nodded. 'She went out into the hall,' she said.

James nodded and stepped out through the portrait hole into the hallway. He stopped immediately—staring at him were Lily and Snape.

'What's HE doing here?' Snape snarled, his hand plunging into his robes. Instinctively, James did the same, but Lily jumped between them, pushing them apart.

'JUST STOP IT!' she cried. 'Both of you! One of you is going to hit me, and I promise, it will be the very last thing you ever do!'

James lowered his wand, although Snape was slower to do so. He scowled at him. 'Tell him to leave,' he snapped.

'Don't talk to her that way,' James growled.

'Don't lecture me!' Snape roared.

'ENOUGH!' Lily said, a loud bang sounding from her wand. James heard the raucous partying in the common room stop and the portrait hole opened. A lot of Gryffindor faces crowded into the hole, and several exclamations of dislike were made at the appearance of Snape, who looked momentarily fearful.

'Go back inside, it's alright,' James said coolly. 'Just a disagreement.' Sirius had forced his way to the front and looked ready to argue, but James fixed him with his most authoritative stare. 'It's fine, Sirius. I'll be back inside in a minute.'

Remus leaned out and closed the portrait hole. The noise didn't resume, and James took that to mean they now had several eavesdroppers.

'Turning away your help, Potter? You usually never mind going four on one—' Snape began.

'WILL YOU JUST STOP IT, SEVERUS!' Lily shouted and he stepped back as if he had been slapped. 'I've asked, I've begged, I've pleaded with you—BOTH OF YOU—to just stop it! Why do you two always have to be at each other's throats?'

Neither James nor Snape said anything. Lily stormed back into the portrait hole, but not before turning back to them. 'Go ahead and kill each other for all I care.' She stormed into the common room, scattering the remaining Gryffindors. James turned back to look at Snape, who was eyeing him with intense dislike. With great effort, James bit his tongue and slowly backed into the common room, closing the portrait hole behind him, leaving Snape alone in the corridor.

'You alright?' Sirius asked sharply.

James looked up the staircase to the girls' dormitory as Lily's mane of red hair vanished into the door. He sighed, the elation of only a few hours before seeming to drain from his body. But as he looked over the sea of Gryffindor faces looking at him in worry, he cracked a broad smile. 'Course I am,' he said. 'The party continues!' he said to a roar from the Gryffindor crowd.

He accepted a Butterbeer from a sixth year and looked at Sirius, who was scrutinizing him carefully. 'It's fine,' he said with a sigh. 'Everything's perfect.'


	33. Apologies and Announcements

33

James awoke the next morning not having recalled going to sleep. He was laying on a chair next to the fire place in the common room. A quick glance around told him that many others had done the same – Sirius and Marlene lay on the long couch next to him, their hands curled around each other. Remus was sitting by the window, idly reading a book. This was not uncommon as he was usually a night owl. Leaning on his shoulder and snoring softly was Peter, a situation Remus did not seem to mind.

Looking across the room, James could see other sleeping Gryffindors. Alice was leaned into Frank's lap near the base of the staircase leading to the girls' dormitory, sleeping soundly with Frank's arms wrapped around her. Gideon and Fabian were asleep in what James could only assume were cruelly uncomfortable positions—Gideon's feet were up and over the back of a chair, his back was arched over the cushion, and his head rested on the floor. Fabian lay on his side with his left arm underneath him, his right leg splayed up over an ottoman.

Dorcas and Cresswell were nowhere to be seen, although James had a solid guess as to where they had ended up. A smattering of Gryffindor Quidditch supporters were also around, snoring loudly. It clearly had been a good party.

James tried to put the incident with Lily and Snape from his mind, but no sooner had he decided on that when the door to the girls' dormitory opened and Lily emerged. As James had just stood up, he stuck out rather badly in a room filled with unconscious people. Lily laid eyes on him and immediately flushed. James offered a tentative wave and braced himself for the worst.

He was pleasantly surprised, then, when Lily motioned to the portrait hole and began heading towards it. James tip toed across the room, casting a glance at Remus who raised his eyebrows hopefully as James left. They slipped out into the hallway and James had barely closed to the portrait hole when Lily began speaking in a hushed voice.

'I shouldn't have said that last night,' she said.

'Said what?' James asked innocently.

Lily sucked in a deep breath as she began to walk. James fell into step behind her. 'I shouldn't have said those things about you two killing each other—to you or Sev. Neither of you deserved that,' she said in a rush, and James got the distinct impression that she was rather unaccustomed to apologies.

'And what are you hoping I'll say right now?' James asked.

Lily sighed. 'Potter, I have a rule, and that is that I don't like saying 'sorry',' she said.

'Then don't,' James replied.

'It's not always as easy as that,' she said.

James chuckled. 'It really is. You just seem to have a fondness for making things more complicated than they need to be.' She turned an icy glare on him and he grinned. 'Not an insult, Evans,' he said. 'You were upset. You don't like it when Snape and I get in each other's grill, and you got mad. It's okay.'

Lily sighed. 'Somehow, I don't think Sev will be as forgiving,' she muttered.

James smirked again. 'I'm rooting against him in this particular instance,' he said.

'Look,' she said, clearly ignoring the comment. 'My point is that I crossed the line. Especially in light of what you have to deal with right now,' she added.

James stopped short. 'You mean Rochefort?'

'I—well—yes,' Lily said.

James folded his arms. 'What do you think is going to happen? He's going to pop out of my breakfast and off me, leaving you in constant regret of a mean thing you said to me?'

'You shouldn't joke about this,' Lily said seriously.

'Well, if you think that roaming the castle being generally forlorn and moping will be more helpful in my current predicament, I suppose I could give it a shot,' James said sarcastically.

Lily pursed her lips. 'You don't let anything bother you, do you?' she asked.

'Plenty bothers me. This is just one thing that I'm not letting get to me,' he replied.

'So, then what?' Lily asked.

'Beg pardon?' James replied.

'So what really bothers you?'

James laughed. 'That's something I only tell my friends, and last I heard, you were still stubbornly refusing to call me a friend.'

Lily sighed. 'I guess I've made my own bed,' she muttered.

'What time is it, anyway?' James asked.

'Almost seven. I like getting a head start on breakfast most days,' she said. 'I suppose it will be helpful for you to avoid the crowds as well, lest you be forced to relive your Quidditch match for the rest of the day.'

James grinned. 'You have to admit, it was pretty spectacular.'

Lily sighed. 'I suppose so. But you're going to have to give me a wide berth at some point to talk to Severus.'

'I suppose I could ask the muggles to book me a flight out of the country. But I don't think they go to Antarctica,' James said dryly again. When Lily raised an eyebrow at him he laughed. 'He really, really hates me.'

Lily sighed. 'Yes, he really does,' she muttered. 'It makes everything so difficult.'

'Like what?' James asked.

Lily went slightly pink. 'I'm sorry, that's something I only tell my friends,' she said, emphasizing the word 'my' and clearly enjoying the turnabout on James' words.

'Hey, I'm perfectly willing to be friends,' James said.

'I'll bear that in mind,' Lily replied. 'Look, I know I can't make you and Sev get along. But can you just leave him be while I try to fix what I said last night?'

James raised his arms. 'I will go out of my way not to instigate anything until you have foolishly re-established yourself in his esteem,' he said seriously.

Lily cuffed him on the arm as they entered the dining hall. The faculty was already present, but they were clearly the first students to arrive. James found himself greeted by a light round of applause as the teachers stood.

'Come, join us,' Dumbledore said, his voice carrying across the hall and sounding in their ears loud enough as though he were standing right next to them. James and Lily walked forward and stood before the staff table. 'As you are out of bed rather early—especially in light of what I am sure were somewhat rambunctious festivities that undoubtedly stretched well into this morning,' he added with a twinkle in his eye, 'we would be honoured if you would dine with us.'

Lily was surprised. 'How did you know we would be up early?' she asked.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly again. 'You are both somewhat like clockwork, Ms. Evans. You are down here early each morning. And Mr. Potter is usually never far from wherever you are.'

Lily looked at James in surprise. He simply grinned back. Dumbledore waved his wand idly and two large, fluffy chairs appeared in front of the staff table, and two plates filled with a magnificent looking breakfast. 'Thank you,' James and Lily said together as they sat.

'What a game, what a game,' Slughorn said airily and somewhat depressedly. 'I must say, Mr. Potter, that was quite the show.'

'Indeed,' Madam Bones said with somewhat of a smirk at Slughorn and a wink at James. He smiled back as he tucked into some poached eggs.

McGonagall was smiling more than James had ever seen. 'It certainly was a splendid send-off for Meadowes and Cresswell,' she said dreamily. 'I do think we'll have trouble replacing them next year.'

'I don't know about that, we had some pretty good candidates at trials this year,' James said.

McGonagall looked at him with a trace of a knowing look, but that was gone instantly. 'I'd imagine you will miss Dorcas' leadership in the dressing room,' she said, with another trace of that same knowing tone.

James shrugged. 'The Captain is fantastic, and there won't be any replacing her. No one person is going to do it, anyway, so we'll just have to tackle it as a group.'

'Well said,' Dumbledore said with a smile. 'Ms. Evans, do you have any Quidditch aspirations?'

Lily smiled politely. 'I prefer observing,' she said. 'I leave the broom work to Potter. He enjoys having his head in the clouds.'

There was a light hearted chuckle from most of the table and James smiled at the smirk Lily gave him. 'She wasn't always a fan,' he said. 'We had to convert her.'

'Much as you converted Mr. Longbottom,' McGonagall said. 'I swear, he was done a complete 180 on his personality since joining the team. I understand you are to thank for that as well, Potter,' she said.

James glanced at Lily. He was unaccustomed to receiving this much praise, from teachers no less. 'Frank's the brightest guy I've ever met. He just needed a nudge, and he did the rest.'

'And he finally made his move with Ms. Dearborn,' Slughorn said with a chuckle. 'Star crossed lovers if I've ever seen them.'

Dumbledore smiled widely, his eyes flicking to Lily and James for a moment before returning to his plate. 'I gather that will be a cause for much discussion today,' he said. 'As perfect moments go, that one will be tough to compare with.'

James chuckled. 'That's Alice and Frank. It's hard to hold a candle to them.'

They ate together for a while longer until students began trickling in. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were the first to arrive, before the bleary eyed Gryffindors began filing in. Last was the surly Slytherin house, which was clearly not pleased with their defeat. Having planned in advance for this, James had moved to the Gryffindor table to sit with Sirius, Remus and Peter while Lily sat with Alice and Frank to wait for Snape.

'Been up long?' Sirius yawned.

'Only a bit,' James replied.

'How are things with Lily?' Remus whispered, causing Sirius to snap his head around and look at them both. 'James and Lily left the common room together this morning,' Remus clarified, causing Sirius to gape.

'A moment that even you couldn't interrupt, Sirius,' James said with a grin.

'So? What happened?' Peter asked excitedly.

James shrugged. 'She—well, she didn't exactly apologize, but she did say she shouldn't have said that,' he said.

'Well that's a good start,' Remus said.

Sirius grinned. 'No one can stay mad at my boy for long,' he said happily.

James chuckled. 'She's going to try and have the same talk with Snape,' he said.

Sirius made a face as if he'd just swallowed bogies. 'Gross,' he muttered. 'I don't know why she's friends with that grease ball.'

'I'd suspect what you don't know would fill several books,' Remus said as he ate some of the sausage on his plate. 'We are in no position to judge her friends.'

'Of course we are,' Sirius muttered. 'If she's not going to, someone has to.'

They laughed, and then James was struck by a sudden inspiration. He leapt up onto the table, causing Sirius to jump back and he pointed his wand at his throat. 'Sonerus,' he said. 'Attention fellow Hogwarts students!' he bellowed, causing half the hall to jump. 'I would just like to draw everyone's attention once more to the fact that finally—FINALLY—after years of beating around bushes, of false starts, of near misses, of almost beens—'

'Get to the point!' Sirius bellowed with a laugh.

'Right,' James said. 'That FINALLY, Frank Longbottom and Alice Dearborn kissed!' he said. There was a great cheer from the hall that not one Slytherin took part in. 'Now give us another one!' James shouted, and the students began banging their hands on the table.

Frank's face was so red that he looked like he might burst a blood vessel, but Alice laughed easily, standing and bowing to the applause. She offered her hand to Frank who stood up and they embraced and kissed to a great deal of whooping and hollering. 'Excellent form! I'd give it a 10!' James said, his voice still magically magnified.

'Enough, Potter,' McGonagall's voice, magically magnified as well, cut across the din.

'Sorry, Professor,' James said, his voice still loud. 'Just getting the day off to a good start!'

'Sit DOWN, Potter,' McGonagall said warningly.

'Right—have a nice day, everyone!' James said, hopping back into his seat and pocketing his wand as Sirius shook his head at him. 'It had to be done,' James said in a sombre tone, but he added a wink.

Peter smiled down the table at Frank and Alice, who were animatedly talking and laughing as they tucked into their breakfast. 'Took them long enough. I was beginning to worry they'd never realize they were made for each other.'

'That puts the pressure on you, Potter,' came Gideon Prewett's voice as he plunked himself down heavily in the seat next to James.

'Yeah,' added Fabian as he snatched a biscuit off of Sirius' plate and stuffed it into his mouth all at once. 'The pool switches to you and Evans now that Frank and Alice have finally locked lips.'

'Pool?' Sirius asked excitedly.

James rolled his eyes. 'You're not starting that for real, are you?'

'Course we are,' Gideon grinned. 'Of course, if you'd actually made the pool an open invite on Frank and Alice, you would have won since you predicted precisely when they kissed. As it turned out, The Captain was the runner up so she made off with all the winnings.'

James laughed. 'And what were the winnings?'

'I made about ten galleons,' Dorcas said happily as she and Cresswell came to the table. 'Too bad none of us are gamefully employed—or people of means. But I'll take what I can get.'

Remus cleared his throat. 'Well, if you're going to place bets on James, you may want to wait for the end of the week,' he said.

'Why?' The Twins asked in unison, excitement in their voice.

James smiled broadly. 'Because the prank goes down tomorrow.'

'Wicked,' the group seemed to breathe as one. James cast a furtive glance up the table at Lily, who was looking nervously across the hall at Snape, who was attacking his food rather savagely without looking up. 'This should be fun,' James said with a smirk.


	34. Doubles and Doppelgangers

34

The following morning began like most others in Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Whomping Willow idly yet homicidally batted low-flying birds out of the air, Peeves the Poltergeist went careening down the hallways of the school singing an obscene tune at maximum volume, and breakfast was nearly ready to be served in the great hall.

Sitting contently in his spot at the table, engaged in friendly conversation, was James Potter. It was not entirely uncommon for him to be the first of his friends to arrive for breakfast. As Dumbledore had pointed out only the previous day, he was never too far from Lily, who was sitting near the end of the Gryffindor table talking animatedly with Alice Dearborn.

If anyone had bothered to ask where James' other halves were—Remus, Peter and Sirius—he would simply have replied that they were slow getting out of bed and that they'd be there eventually. But as nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the morning, nobody did ask, and James was not forced to lie to anyone.

James idly cast a glance over at the Slytherin table. He had made a habit of observing the arrival times of his arch rivals each morning. Snape, Mulciber, Avery and Regulus all had a habit of being the last to arrive to the table, without fail. James attributed this to their desire to make an entrance, usually accompanied by many threatening glares in James' own direction. Much like his own counterparts, they had not yet arrived either. But as this was not out of character with their timing, no one made mention of it.

Also absent were Gideon and Fabian. They were so frequently and characteristically late that James did not anticipate anyone asking about them.

No one in Hogwarts had any reason to suspect that anything was out of the ordinary. And in spite of his reputation around the school of being something of a toastmaster general of the moral degenerate, there James Potter sat, innocently eating his breakfast while conversing with some of his fellow Gryffindors.

But down towards the dungeons where the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories were, the story was much different.

Severus Snape was exiting through the secret passage, followed by his usual trifecta of trouble makers: Mulciber, Avery and Regulus. As per his usual routine, Snape had hung back and kept an eye on the clock, waiting a suitable amount of time for when he knew that most of the school would be in the dining hall before making their entrance. The key, Snape felt, was staying aloof and acting as if this was nothing out of the ordinary. He knew that this simple routine absolutely drove James Potter mad, which was the single reason he continued to do so.

'I'm starving,' Mulciber was muttering. 'I was about ready to eat my books.'

'I wasn't aware you knew what a book looked like,' Snape quipped to a roar of laughter from Avery and Regulus. Mulciber flushed but said nothing—he didn't dare to. Since Lucius Malfoy had graduated last year, Snape had become the de facto leader of their group, a role which he relished.

They rounded a corner after coming up the stairway and stopped suddenly. There, leaning against a wall and idly tossing a quaffle back and forth between his hands was James Potter. For a moment, Snape was stunned and suspicious—but as he swept the hallways and decided there was no sign of his little Marauder gang, a triumphant grin spread across his face. He pulled his wand from his robes, and a slight ruffling sound told him that Mulciber, Avery and Regulus had done the same.

'Lost, Potter?' Snape drawled, his friends chuckling behind them. James merely grinned, continuing to toss the quaffle back and forth between his hands. This slightly irritated Snape, who had been anticipating one of their usual verbal back-and-forths that preceded a quarrel. 'Cat got your tongue?'

'Who's tongue would that be?' came a voice from behind them. Snape and the others whirled around to find themselves facing – James Potter. Snape spun on his heel to see that the James they had been staring at was gone.

'How did you do that?' Mulciber demanded dumbly, and Snape silently cursed him.

James Potter grinned at them, when a voice said from there left. 'How did we do what?' They spun as a group once more and there, again, was James Potter, twirling a broomstick in his hand. He grinned at them and raised his eyebrows. 'What's the matter, Snivellus?' taunted Potter. 'Seeing double?'

'Or is it triple?' came the voice from where they had first seen James, and he was now there again – but he was also to their side. A quick look back showed he was also behind them. 'Come on, Snivellus—you were acting all tough a moment ago,' said the one behind them.

'Yeah,' said the one to their right. 'When it was four on one.'

The James Potter in front of them moved away from the wall, still tossing the quaffle back and forth. 'Don't tell me you have a problem with the odds being evened? You might lack a little—er, backbone. You don't know what missing bones feels like, though, do you?' he said darkly.

Snape snorted. 'Hark who's talking,' he hissed. 'You never attack me unless it's four on one!'

'I guess I am still outnumbered,' the James in front of them said. 'Or am I?'

Two more James Potters suddenly stepped out from behind suits of armour in the hallway. Snape was thoroughly astounded. The two James' grinned, and suddenly the hallway was filled with flashes of light.

Sirius grinned and adjusted his glasses, looking down at the stunned forms of his brother, Snape, Mulciber and Avery. 'How long do you think they'll be out, Moony?' he asked, reverting to his normal voice. Attempting to speak in James' tones was not altogether easy, and had taken him a good deal of practice to maser. Remus seemed to have grasped it right away. Peter had struggled but eventually got the hang of it; the Twins' voices, however, were so deep that they knew it would have been useless to get them to try.

'I'd give it a half hour,' said the James Potter who spoke in Remus Lupin's voice. 'Just long enough to wreak a little havoc.'

'Excellent,' came Gideon Prewett's voice out of another James Potter's mouth. 'But are you sure we need to look like them to do it?'

Remus nodded. 'That's James' plan,' he said dryly as he plucked some hairs off of Regulus' head. 'Here you go, Sirius. You can get your brother into trouble,' he said, offering him a small flask of Polyjuice Potion. James' strategy had really been simple. First, the idea of multiple James' would be one of the few things to give Snape and his friends pause for consideration. It would also make for one awfully tall tale given that James was sitting in plain view of the entire school eating his breakfast.

Once Sirius, Remus, Peter, Fabian and Gideon had successful subdued the Slytherins, they were to take another dose of Polyjuice potion—this time becoming the forms of their enemies. It was then that the next stage in the elaborate prank would take place.

'Urgh, essence of Mulciber,' Gideon growled as he downed his flask. Fabian gulped down a dollop of Avery, while Remus drank down Snape. Peter was the only one who was to be spared having to go through consuming the Polyjuice Potion again. They had frankly been concerned he was going to throw it up all over them the first time, much less doing it again a short while later.

A few moments later, the four James' had turned into Snape, Mulciber, Avery and Regulus. 'Right, Peter,' said Snape in Remus Lupin's voices. 'Stash them away in the broom cupboard at the end of the hall and then make your way back to the common room. We'll meet you there once we're done, and then we'll all head down to the lunch hall together.'

Peter nodded and set about moving the unconscious Slytherins as their doppelgangers took off at a run down the hall. 'I got some great fireworks for this one,' Gideon Prewett's voice said excitedly.

Back in the great hall, breakfast was continuing. All seemed quiet and right in the school – that is until an extremely loud set of explosions shook the castle walls, causing dust to rain down from the ceiling. As Hogwarts was a school if Witchcraft and Wizardry, the sound of loud explosions did not cause a mass panic. It did, however, cause some hushed whispering about what it could be.

'Hagrid, if you would be so kind as to ensure no one has been injured?' Dumbledore asked politely, his voice carrying across the hall. Hagrid stood up from his place at the head table and marched between the tables to the door. He was nearly there when it burst open, admitting a decidedly haggard and scorched looking Argus Filch.

'Fireworks in the school!' Filch roared. 'Students running amok!'

'Good morning, Argus,' Dumbledore said politely again.

'There's a group of students out in the halls setting off fireworks!' Filch roared. From his seat at the Gryffindor table, James cast a glance down at Lily. She was scanning the table and her eyes stopped on James; she immediately looked back down at her plate and James smirked in spite of himself. She had instantly suspected him.

Dumbledore used a napkin to wipe his mouth. 'And they are proving troublesome to catch?' he asked. Filch's mouth worked silently for a moment, but Dumbledore had already stood up. 'No matter, I will come and assist. Continue with breakfast everyone,' he said as more loud bangs and roars sounded from the hallways. It was readily apparent that the school was yearning to see Dumbledore in action against whomever was causing the trouble, but nobody dared to move when he had asked them not to.

Fortunately, they were spared the trouble, for just a moment later, Severus Snape appeared in the doorway of the great hall. The student body gasped; Snape was wearing an excited grin which, in James' mind, looked extremely out of place on his face. 'Good morning!' Snape said in a rather poor approximation of Snape's own voice. Suddenly, he whipped his wand and a massive firework-elephant came stomping into the room before exploding, sending streamers, sparks and flames in every direction. Students dove for cover under their tables as this happened, but it was over in a moment. Dumbledore waved his wand and it was like he had a large firework-vaccum in his hand, as all the sparks and flames suddenly shot into it. 'Snape' had taken advantage of the momentary distraction and disappeared.

'We're going to have to have a word with your house, Horace,' Dumbledore said lightly to Professor Slughorn, who was staring with a dumbstruck expression at the door. Dumbledore loped gracefully into the hall.

None of the school got to see the chaos that had been wrought by the Slytherin rampage. By the time breakfast let out, all of the evidence had been wiped clean by Dumbledore, who the portraits spoke very fondly of. The portraits were also only too happy to tell that Snape, Mulciber, Avery and Regulus had been running amok through the school, defacing paintings, writing obscene phrases on the walls with their wands, setting off fireworks and letting loose all manner of creatures and critters in the halls. Had it not been for Dumbledore, many of them declared, they may have had to call in the Ministry of Magic itself.

But the question soon turned to where the troublemakers were. A search was on in the school, and in the meantime, classes continued as usual.

Transfiguration was the first class of the day. James sat down in class just as Sirius, Peter and Remus strolled in, all looking rather tired. James waved hello and Sirius gave him a subtle wink. James' eyes flicked to Lily, and he saw her eyes narrow – the gesture had not gone unnoticed. James had intentionally positioned himself with a view of the door, and he was not let down when only a few moments into class, it burst open, admitting a red faced Severus Snape, flanked by Mulciber, Avery and Regulus.

'YOU!' Snape roared, pointing at James with his wand. Before he could utter any incantation however, his wand—along with those of Mulciber, Avery and Regulus—soared through the air and into the outstretched hand of Professor McGonagall.

'You,' she said simply, 'have a lot of explaining to do, Mr. Snape.'

'Explaining about what?' he thundered.

'About why you and your friends, who have all so handily shown up at once, decided to cause such chaos at the school this morning. I think it will be straight to the headmaster's office with you.'

Snape was turning an angry shade of puce. 'How could we have been running amok all morning? We were locked in a broom closet! It was Potter!'

McGonagall rolled her eyes. 'Potter was sitting in the great hall all morning—including when you yourself arrived, Mr. Snape, and set off fireworks.'

Snape's eyes flicked to James and if looks could have killed, James was certain he wouldn't have had time to compose an epitaph. 'I don't know how he's done it, but he has! I've been framed!' Snape shouted.

'Enough of this,' McGonagall said. 'You will accompany me to the Headmaster's office now. The rest of you, keep working,' she said as she escorted them out of the classroom.

Silently, everyone in the room turned to face James who looked around and gave an innocent shrug. 'What?' he asked.

Frank smiled from his spot next to Alice Dearborn, who was also smirking, but said nothing. James caught Lily's eye and was expecting an angry look of disapproval. But for a trace of a moment, he saw an amused look on her face before she turned back to the task at hand.

Class continued for the rest of the day. In the classes they shared with the Slytherins, none of the accused four showed up. The school was buzzing about the events of the morning. It was not until the final class let out—Potions with Professor Slughorn—that James stepped into the hallway and felt a hand land on his shoulder.

'Good evening, Mr. Potter,' said Dumbledore softly with a twinkle in his eye. 'I was wondering if I could have a word?'

James glanced over at Sirius, Remus and Peter who made off as quickly as they could. James looked at Dumbledore and nodded. The latter began to walk and James moved to keep up.

'A most interesting day,' Dumbledore said lightly. 'It should please you to know that Misters Snape, Mulciber, Avery and Black have all been taken to the hospital wing to be given a calming draught. Mr. Snape in particular was—to turn a phrase—apoplectic,' he added.

James tried to look surprised. 'Really?' he asked.

'He told me quite a tale,' Dumbledore went on as they ascended the staircase to the main hall. 'Or rather, they all did. They said they were ambushed by you. Which of course, was impossible, given that I observed you in conversation with Mr. Longbottom for the majority of breakfast this morning,' he said.

'Strange story,' James said.

Dumbledore chuckled. 'That's just the start of it, if you can believe it. He believes he was not just ambushed by you—but by five of you.'

'You mean me and five other students?' James asked.

'No, five of you—of James Potter,' Dumbledore said, turning suddenly and surveying James over his half-moon spectacles. It was a piercing look that James was beginning to feel could almost sense his thoughts. He suddenly remembered Occlumency and Professor Mondego—he wiped his mind clean as best he could and looked pleasantly back at Dumbledore.

'That's quite a story. As if one of me wasn't enough,' James said.

Dumbledore smiled. 'Quite,' he said. 'They then went on to say they had no recollection of the next few hours, and awoke in a broom closet, immediately setting off to find you which they ultimately did in Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class. Mr. Snape feels that you must have somehow been able to impersonate him.'

'And how would I have done that?' James asked, trying to sound amused.

'Oh there are ways,' Dumbledore said as they resumed walking. 'Ways which, of course, you would not have encountered in the course of your regular studies,' he added, emphasizing the word 'regular' in a way that made James uncomfortable. 'One such possibility would be what is known as Polyjuice Potion. Although that wouldn't explain how he saw five of you…'

James felt his stomach knot on himself. He suddenly remembered his father telling him during first year 'not to try and pull a fast one on Albus Dumbledore'.

'I understand your friend Mr. Lupin decided to tackle making the potion for extra credit,' Dumbledore said, his tone again conversational.

James swallowed. 'Yeah, I think he mentioned it.'

Dumbledore stopped at the portrait hole to the Gryffindor common room. 'Mr. Snape makes several serious accusations. Accusations that, were there any proof, would be very serious indeed, James.'

'Of course,' James said, his heart hammering.

'Pranks are wont to occur, James. But they need to have limits. Damage to this school or anyone within it is not tolerated—no matter how impressive the skill or magic behind it may be. Do we understand each other?'

James nodded. 'Of course, sir.'

Dumbledore smiled faintly. 'Off you go, then,' he said. James turned to run through the portrait hole. 'James?' Dumbledore asked, causing him to turn once more. Dumbledore teetered on his heels for a moment and then offered a small smile again. 'Full marks for creativity,' he said and then he walked off. James stared, dimly aware that his mouth was hanging open as he did so, and then ran into the common room.


	35. Almosts and Goodbyes

35

The prank was instantly adopted as a part of Hogwarts' lore. While it was generally understood that James and his friends were somehow responsible, no one dared to discuss it in the open for fear of implicating them. Snape and his friends were generally regarded as extremely unpopular pupils outside of their own house, whereas James Potter had become something of a school hero through a combination of his Quidditch heroics, his knack for tomfoolery, and of course his well-documented near-misses with notable Dark Wizards.

'Just don't let it all go to your head,' Remus murmured on the evening before they were due to return to London. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were sitting in their dormitory, idly packing their bags. A week had passed since the prank had been pulled, a week that had mercifully passed without retribution. Smart money indicated, however, that the Slytherins would try some sort of revenge prank before they arrived safely back at the King's Cross in London. 'Especially the part about escaping Dark Wizards. You know that Rochefort would love to catch you strolling about being arrogant.'

James rolled his eyes. 'Your faith in me is astounding, Moony,' he muttered.

'I'm not joking! You need to remember to stick close to the people your Dad is going to have protecting you,' he said earnestly.

'Yes, Mother, I intend to,' James said in exasperation.

Remus opened his mouth to say more, but Sirius waved him into silence. 'I think what Moony is trying to say, mate, is just be careful. We want to see you after tomorrow in one piece – even if it was a remarkably arrogant and somewhat ugly piece.'

James cuffed Sirius in the back of the head as the others laughed. 'When are we going to see each other next after tomorrow?' Peter asked.

'As soon as possible, please,' James said. 'I don't think I can stand being cooped up at my parents' place all summer with a few humourless Aurors as company,' he finished with a shudder. 'You guys are welcome any time. We can work on the Animagi thing.'

'You can stop that any time, you know,' Remus said half-heartedly.

'Nonsense,' Sirius said dismissively. 'It's just taking us a while to figure it out. We'll get there eventually.'

'Given how illegal it is, it wouldn't be the worst thing if you never did figure it out,' Remus countered.

Sirius snorted. 'Last day of school really has you in a lecturing mood, doesn't it?' he asked. 'First James is arrogant, then we're all law breakers…I seem to recall you playing a principal role in our prank just a few days ago.'

Remus sighed. 'Yes, that's true,' he muttered.

'There's something satisfying about putting that lot in their place,' Peter said. 'They're certainly not so tough when we get the drop on them.'

'Too right,' Sirius nodded. 'So what's the plan for the train tomorrow? Are we all going to find a compartment together?'

Peter made a face. 'Is Marlene going to be sharing with us?' he asked.

'Probably. Why?' Sirius replied.

'Because I don't want to get splashed by your saliva,' Peter shuddered. 'It's worse than going to watch the whales at the aquarium.'

Sirius flushed as James roared with laughter. 'Look, just because I am happy and content in a relationship is no reason for you to rain on my parade.'

'Is it really a relationship if you spend one hundred percent of your time desperately trying to suck each other's faces off?' James mused to general laughter.

'Anyway, back to my question – is that the plan?' Sirius cut them off.

James shrugged. 'I think Dorcas has invited us to the Head Compartment for the ride. A pretence, I think, for her and Cresswell to guard me again.'

'At least they're good company,' Remus said cheerfully.

'True,' James replied.

'It must be weird for you now that they're going,' Peter pointed out. 'Two big parts of your Quidditch team…'

James sighed. He'd been trying not to think of how weird the school would be without Cresswell and, particularly, Dorcas. He was quite fond of her, and he was also more than a little concerned about the world the two of them were heading out into. A world with Rochefort and Voldemort still in it, and no Dumbledore standing guard over them…

'…you there?' Sirius was asking, waving his hand in front of James' face. 'So are we going to join them in the head compartment or not?'

'Definitely,' James said as he stuffed his father's invisibility cloak into his trunk over top of his magic two-way mirror. He seized the opportunity to change what was running through his mind. 'It looks like we might finally have broken the curse for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position,' he said.

The others stopped and looked at him. James had had his final get together with Madam Bones a few days previous. They had not attempted any of the Unforgiveable Curses on this occasion, but had shared stories of duels and the unorthodox methods they had used to either win or escape. She had indicated to him then that her plan was to return to Hogwarts the following year.

'Well, now you've gone and jinxed her,' Sirius muttered. 'There's a whole summer for something to happen to her. Get killed like Professor Bowen or Professor Mondego…'

'We don't know that Mondego is dead,' Remus pointed out.

Sirius shook his head. 'Cling to that thought, Moony. If Mondego isn't dead, I'll eat my hat in front of Professor McGonagall. Why haven't we seen hide nor hair of him for almost a year exactly?'

'Maybe the same reason we haven't seen hide or hair of Lucius Malfoy,' Peter suggested. 'Maybe he decided to join You-Know-Who.'

Sirius sighed irritably. 'Not you too…' he muttered.

Peter flushed. 'Saying the name is supposed to be bad luck!'

'You don't honestly believe that rubbish, do you?' Sirius barked. 'That's just kids' stuff.'

Peter looked as if he wanted to defend himself, but thought better of it and went back to packing his bags. Remus cleared his throat. 'Quite the year we've had, when you look back on it,' he said quietly. 'I didn't think it would be possible to fit more into a year than we did last year, but somehow, I think we topped it.'

James got lost in thought once again as he reflected on Remus' words; he was dimly aware of the others continuing to converse, but he was thinking about all that had happened over the last year. He and Lily had actually managed to converse on many occasions without her wishing some sort of injury or ailment upon him. Sirius had been kidnapped by Rochefort, only to be retrieved by a cunning effort from James, Remus, Peter and Lily. James and Lily had narrowly escaped the clutches of Lord Voldemort himself, and then Frank and Alice had followed suit at Christmas.

The year had worn on and they had eventually won the Quidditch Cup. Frank and Alice had finally done what everyone had been waiting for for almost three years and kissed upon winning the game, a kiss which meant that at some point Lily owed James a date. In between these events, Rochefort had appeared to James and personally vowed that he was going to kill him, something that sent the Ministry into overdrive in efforts to protect him.

He had learned illegal Unforgivable curses from his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He, Sirius, Remus and Peter had made slim progress towards their goal of ultimately becoming Animagi. He had busted Dorcas for sneaking Cresswell into the Head Dormitory for an evening. He had given Lily Evans a Christmas present that seemed to have broken through her armour and made her hug him, that one brief moment shining out amongst the others like a beacon for his year.

By the time James had finished recalling winning the Quidditch Cup and the prank they had pulled on the Slytherins, the others were already tucking into bed. It would be an early morning the next day, breakfast followed by departing for London once more for a summer holiday. But James found himself unable to sleep. He silently padded out of the dormitory once he was sure the others had gone to sleep, the chainsaw-like sound of Sirius' snoring providing him ample cover to move unannounced.

He arrived down in the common room and chuckled at a sight he had not laid eyes on in what seemed like an eternity. Sitting by the fire, reading a book, was Lily Evans. She looked up and smirked at the sight of James.

They had not had the opportunity to talk a great deal in the last week. James was not entirely sure what her reaction to his prank would have been – not that she could really pin anything on him, but the entire school seemed relatively certain it had been his doing.

'Couldn't sleep?' he asked innocently as he sat down across from her.

'No,' she said, closing her book and placing it on the armrest of her chair. 'You?' she asked.

'No,' James replied. He paused for a moment and then nodded at the book. 'I thought classes were done for the year,' he said.

Lily smiled. 'Getting a head start on next year. Courses to select, new books to read.'

James laughed. 'You're the smartest student in our year, if not the school. Do you really need to do all of this reading?'

'Well, being that I'm not blessed with—what is it you're always saying?—superior talent, I guess I have to,' she said with a smirk.

James chuckled. 'If there's someone else apart from me I'd use that phrase to describe, Evans, it would be you.'

Lily flushed slightly. 'So what's on your mind?'

James shrugged. 'Just reflecting. It's been an…eventful year.'

'It certainly has,' Lily agreed. 'I don't know about you, but I could do with an uneventful summer,' she muttered.

James chuckled. 'You and me both. At least you don't have to have an armed escort following you wherever you go,' he muttered.

'It must make you sleep a little easier,' Lily said.

'Hardly,' James snorted. 'It's really just an ever-present reminder that someone out there wants me dead. It doesn't exactly lead to sweet dreams.'

Lily pursed her lips and stared at the fire. 'Do you have any plans for the summer?' she asked.

'Apart from house arrest? Not really,' James sighed. 'Hopefully Sirius, Remus and Peter will come to visit at some point.'

Lily stirred in her chair. 'So are you going to ask me or not?' she asked, with a trace of a smile on her face.

James looked at her in confusion. 'Ask you what?'

'Have you forgotten already?' Lily asked, batting her eyelashes.

James raised an eyebrow. 'Are we talking about our bet?' he asked.

'Yes,' she replied innocently.

James laughed. 'I got the feeling you wouldn't want me asking giving recent events,' he said.

Lily narrowed her eyes. 'Is that an admission of guilt to the prank?' she asked.

'Hardly,' James replied. 'But I don't rat on my friends.'

Lily chuckled. 'No, there's some honour in there somewhere, underneath all of that ego,' she said smartly.

Now it was James' turn to raise his eyebrows. 'So why are you bringing it up?' he asked.

'A bet's a bet,' Lily said. 'I follow through on my commitments.'

James grinned. 'Yes, but I thought this would be a particularly undesirable event for you—unless you've finally seen the light and have realized we're meant to be?'

'Don't flatter yourself,' Lily said. 'You're arrogant, pompous, bombastic, attention-seeking and a frequent bully,' she said.

'Stop, you're making me blush,' James deadpanned.

Lily smiled. 'But you also always seem to be there when someone needs you,' she said in an altogether softer tone. 'Somewhere underneath that face you put on for everyone else to see is a really good friend, Potter.'

James raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Are you saying you want to be friends?' he asked.

Lily shook her head. 'No, I don't want to complicate things,' she said. 'I still have a friendship with Sev to maintain, and that friendship could end if I become friends with you.'

'There you go complicating things again,' James muttered.

Lily leaned across her chair. 'Sometimes complicated isn't a bad thing, Potter,' she said. 'I owe you my life. You saved my skin when we met…Voldemort,' she said.

James gulped. She was suddenly very close to him, and they hadn't broached this subject together in months. 'I owe you my life too,' he said. 'If you weren't on the back of that broom, any one of his curses would have killed me.'

'It would just be so much easier if you were a nice guy,' Lily said in a whisper, her face suddenly inches from his.

James' heart was pounding. 'But I am a nice guy,' he whispered.

'No you're not,' she whispered back, and her breath was on his face. James' eyes fluttered clothes as he breathed in. She smelled like the river—fresh, clean, clear…

For the briefest of moments, her lips touched his.

'—James, are you out here—' came a voice from the top of the stairs that cut off. James and Lily suddenly jerked away from each other, their eyes snapping open. Lily leapt to her feet as they both looked to the top of the stairs to see Sirius standing there staring at them, his jaw hanging open. He suddenly seemed to interpret what he'd just seen. 'I'M NOT HERE!' he bellowed. 'I NEVER WAS! I DIDN'T INTERRUPT! GET BACK TO—ARGH!'

And he was gone again.

James and Lily stayed exactly where they were. James did not dare to breath, and the only sounds that met his ears were the sounds of Lily breathing heavily and the fire crackling behind him. 'Evans, I'm—' James began.

'I'm sorry,' she hissed. 'I shouldn't have—I don't know what I was—' she stammered. 'I should go to bed,' she said.

She looked at James with a pained expression and he leaned back in his chair. 'Good night, Evans,' he said, offering his best confident smile.

'Sleep well, Potter,' she said, her face flushed as she sprinted back up the stairs to her dormitory.

James sighed and looked at the fire. 'Yeah,' he whispered. 'Because I'm really going to sleep now.'

The next morning was something of a one-sided conversation.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's okay.'

'I'm so sorry.'

'It's fine.'

'I am so, so—'

'Sirius, if the next words out of your mouth aren't 'I'm shutting up now', the next words are going to be 'Merlin's beard, you've kicked me in the genitals',' James said in annoyance.

They were sitting awake in the dormitory. They were all dressed and ready to go down for breakfast when Sirius' repeated attempts at apology had forced an explanation as to why he was apologizing. Remus and Peter had both been thunderstruck by the story.

'So…you kissed?' Peter asked.

James shook his head. 'Our lips touched for a second,' he said.

'I think that counts!' Peter said triumphantly.

'I don't,' James muttered.

Sirius looked to be in physical discomfort, but he refrained from saying sorry again. 'James…' he groaned.

James shook his head. 'Really, it's probably for the best. She wasn't ready. If she'd gone ahead and done it, she would have regretted it and then maybe she'd never talk to me again,' he muttered. 'But then again, maybe she'll never talk to me again now…should I have done something?'

'Don't be thick,' Remus said. 'Remember Dorcas' advice? Run the marathon, not the hundred meter dash,' he said earnestly. 'In the long run, it'll just make it all the more worthwhile.'

James laughed sardonically. 'So now you're suddenly a believer that she's into me?'

Remus rolled his eyes. 'Oh come on, James, it's obvious that she's got conflicting feelings over you. If you and Severus weren't always at each other's throats, you'd probably be right up there with Frank and Alice by now.'

Coming from Remus, this was a ringing endorsement that left James momentarily speechless.

'James, don't take this as a negative,' Remus said gently. 'She's warming up to you. Just focus on what you've done to get in her good graces.'

'But I just pranked Snape last week!' James said in confusion.

Remus pursed his lips. 'In retrospect, it was probably a bit more harmless than dropping him off the side of a building like last year,' he said. 'But more to the point, think of the other things you've done this year: going to extremes to save Sirius, you and Lily escaping Voldemort together, being there for Alice and Frank through thick and thin…you're slowly but surely proving, James, that you're not the miserable twit she thinks you are.'

'Thanks, I think,' James muttered to chuckles from the others.

'Wearing her down like the ocean, mate,' Sirius said with a tentative smile.

James smiled at him. 'Stop feeling bad, Sirius, I mean it,' he said.

They gathered their bags and deposited them in the entrance hall before heading to the great hall for breakfast. James spied Lily sitting at the end of the table with Alice, Mary and Marlene. They were huddled in discussion and she looked up to see him. She held his gaze for a moment before ducking back down into conversation.

'At least she didn't leave the room,' Peter said cheerfully. James chuckled as they sat down with their usual group. Frank, Gideon and Fabian were sitting together.

'Good morning, children,' Gideon said happily. 'Isn't it a fine day?'

'We always feel that the last day of school is the best day,' Fabian chimed in cheerily.

James laughed. 'Any sign of the Captain?'

'Oh, I'm sure she'll be along at some point. And then Cresswell will arrive from what is obviously a different location,' Gideon said with a smirk.

Fabian nodded sagely. 'Because it would be a clear contravention of school rules for the Head Girl to have someone in her dormitory,' he said.

As if on cue, Dorcas strolled through the door. Everyone at the table did a double take.

Dorcas had always struck James as something of a tom-boy. She had worn her hair in tight buns or pony-tails all through their school years, and he had grown accustomed to seeing her in either her Quidditch gear or her baggy school robes, which left everything to the imagination. But it struck him (along with everyone else in the school, by the sudden cessation of chatter in the hall) that she was not a tom-boy, nor was she a girl—she was a woman.

Dorcas' had let her hair down and it fell in elegant curls around her face. She wore a black Hogwarts' vest with the Gryffindor lion emblazoned over the left breast, and form-fitting jeans that loosened around her ankles.

Gideon and Fabian were both staring in slack-jawed amazement as she bounced over to sit next to them. 'Good morning, everyone,' she said cheerily.

'C…cuh…' Gideon stammered.

Dorcas looked at him innocently. 'Didn't get any sleep?' she asked sweetly.

James bellowed with laughter as Gideon slammed his mouth shut dumbly, Fabian doing the same. 'Captain, you look amazing,' James said.

'Don't know what you're talking about,' she said with a wink.

'Why the change?' James asked.

Dorcas shrugged. 'You only get to graduate once,' she said. 'So we thought 'why not do it with the bang',' she said.

'We?' James echoed.

The doors opened again and it was Cresswell's turn to step through in. Several audible whistles sounded from female students; he wore a dashing black suit with a white shirt and a black silk tie, only meeting the school guidelines by having custom-embroidered a Gryffindor crest onto the left breast. His hair had been immaculately styled to stick up in all manner of directions, and he had suddenly grown an impressive five-o'clock shadow that made him look years older.

'He had me perform the hair growing charm last night,' Dorcas whispered as he strutted over to join them, to much laughter from the rest of the school. 'I got it a bit too long to start.'

Cresswell chuckled as he sat down. 'I bore a striking resemblance to Dumbledore after that first go-round,' he said.

'At least I fixed it in the end,' Dorcas said sweetly.

'That you did, Dori,' Cresswell replied. 'I was hoping the food would be out already, I'm starving,' he grumbled.

'We'd have missed Dumbledore's speech then,' Dorcas said in a scandalized tone.

James shook his head. 'He won't launch into it until everyone's here, and I'll give you three guesses who still has to show up.'

'Oh, but here they come now, James,' Gideon said excitedly as the door opened to admit Snape, Mulciber, Avery and Regulus. They threw their customary scowls over in James' direction. Much to their chagrin, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Gideon, Fabian, Frank, Dorcas and Cresswell all reacted by blowing them kisses. Laughter erupted around the hall as the four red-faced Slytherins took their seats.

Moments later, Dumbledore stood at the head of the hall, smiling out serenely over the student body. 'Another year has come and gone. Another year has graced us with its fleeting presence, only to all too quickly have passed by into memory. It is a year that has been filled with triumphs and challenges for many of us, and before we become consumed by the fabulous feast that it soon to be before you, I must bend your ear for a few more moments.

'To those students leaving us this year, I hope you will look back fondly on your times at Hogwarts, as we teachers will look back fondly on your times as our students. The world you are headed into now is filled with uncertainty. It is a time of change, a time where our strength, courage and resolved is being called into question and service more and more with each passing day and each passing moment.

'Lord Voldemort is gaining strength and worse, he is gaining numbers. Make no mistake, there will be dark and difficult days ahead and we will all be faced with a time where we must openly declare our intentions and our allegiances. There might come a time where hope seems to wane; where it might seem like the other side is just too strong, or just too numerous, or just too ruthless.

'In these times, we must remember that even the smallest light can shine in the darkness, as it did this year – twice – when four of our very own students met the Dark Lord, defied him, and lived to tell the tale,' he said to a raucous round of applause spear headed by Professor McGonagall.

'You all have within yourselves the ability to affect great change in our world,' Dumbledore said, his eyes drifting over to James. 'For some, the call to arms will be easier to answer than it is for others. But with everything in our world being cast into uncertainty, that call is becoming louder and more persistent than ever. I hope you will all show us what you are made of in the days, months and years ahead.

'To our seventh years – best of luck in all of your endeavours. And to our other students, we look forward to seeing you next year and wish you a safe and fun-filled summer.'

Dumbledore sat down once more and the plates in front of them were suddenly filled with food once more. 'Certainly has a knack for big speeches, doesn't he,' Sirius mused as he tucked into a drumstick.

They ate their lunch cheerfully and then the time came to head to Hogsmeade Station. Several times, James caught Snape conspiring with his minions, but they hung back in light of the size of the group James was in. Frank and Alice, Gideon and Fabian, Dorcas and Cresswell, James, Remus, Sirius and Peter, Marlene, Mary and Lily were all walking together with an invitation to the head compartment.

The shopkeepers of Hogsmeade had turned out to bid them all farewell. Madam Rosmerta forced a box of Honeydukes as well as a case of butterbeer into Sirius' arms. She was clearly feeling guilty for the fact that Sirius had been kidnapped from her shop earlier in the year. The Twins disappeared for a moment to purchase some other goods from her, arriving at the train with their own sealed and unlabelled boxes.

Upon arriving in the decidedly luxurious and open Head Compartment, they all spread out and sat down. 'Not bad for your escort, eh, Potter?' Dorcas said with a grin.

James chuckled. 'You know, I'd almost forgot what you were doing, but there you go bringing it back up,' he said.

'Sorry,' Dorcas said as the train lurched and began to move. She sighed. 'It's weird knowing this is the last ride we'll take on this train.'

'No coming back to Hogwarts as a teacher?' James asked.

Dorcas laughed. 'Merlin's beard, no,' she muttered. 'I don't think I could take it. I could barely control you lot and there was only six of you,' she said.

'Any idea on who the Captain next year is going to be?' Mary McDonald asked.

Dorcas looked at James with a bemused expression. 'That'll be for you lot to decide,' she said. 'Not my department anymore.'

'What are you looking at him for?' Gideon asked indignantly. 'We're going to be the old men on the team,' he said.

Fabian nodded. 'Yeah, it's about time we earned a little veteran respect,' he chimed in.

'You two will be made Captains when Professor McGonagall wants the school burnt down,' Cresswell said coolly to a great gale of laughter.

The trip to London seemed to pass in both a great deal of time and no time at all. Dorcas and Cresswell reflected on their great memories of Hogwarts, capping off with the story of how James and Sirius had intruded on their away time in the head dormitory. Lily had laughed hysterically at the story as everyone else shook their heads.

'See, Captain?' Gideon had chided. 'Breaking the rules can be fun every now and then.'

But all too soon, the train ride had come to a close and they were back at Platform 9 and ¾. James stepped off the train to see Alastor Moody and Engelland waiting for him. James sighed as his bag was handed to him by Cresswell. 'Best of luck, Dirk,' James said as he shook Cresswell's hand firmly. Dorcas was next, and they both dropped their bags to embrace one another. 'So long, Captain,' James said.

'You take care,' Dorcas said in a strained voice. 'Look after yourself. And write often.'

'How do I reach you?' James asked.

Dorcas grinned as she picked up her bag. 'I slipped my address into your bag already. Write often. And take care of the Quidditch team! I expect you to contend next year,' she said as she and Cresswell walked off.

Mary McDonald gave James a hug next. 'I slipped my address into your bag, too,' she said suggestively. 'Feel free to write—or visit.'

'Er, thanks,' James said. Marlene embraced him, and then the Twins were up.

'We don't really do hugs,' Gideon said seriously.

'It's a bit girly,' Fabian said soberly.

'So we did a bit of research into Muggle stuff. You know, to help you with Evans,' Gideon said.

'Okay…?' James asked.

The Twins suddenly held up their hands into a bizarre 'V' shaped, with their fore-finger and middle finger to one side, while their pinky and ring fingers went the other way. 'Live Long and Prosper,' they said in unison.

'What's that?' James asked.

'Some cultural reference. Apparently it's really popular—so it must be sexy, right?' Fabian said cheerily.

James was not entirely convinced, but then the Twins were gone. Remus and Peter embraced him and promised to visit soon. Sirius was next and they hugged for a long time. 'I'm sorry, mate,' Sirius said once again.

'Oh knock it off, will you?' James said, cuffing him on the head. 'Start making up for it by coming to see me soon!'

Last off the train was Lily. She faced James for a moment and them embraced him. 'Take care, Potter,' she said. 'Please don't go and get yourself killed this summer.'

James laughed. 'I couldn't die while I still have a date with you outstanding, Evans,' he said.

'I'm serious, Potter,' she said into his shoulder.

'So am I,' James said quietly. 'I don't plan on going anywhere. You be safe, too.'

With that they separated and Lily turned without looking back and ran over to her family. James watched after her for a moment. 'Ready, James?' Engelland asked.

James sighed and picked up his rucksack. 'Yeah,' he said. 'Is it weird that I can't wait for school to be back on?' he asked.

'We won't tell anyone,' Moody said dryly as they began to walk, James in between the two Aurors. He took one last look back at the scarlet steam engine.

'Alastor?' Engelland asked.

Moody grunted and looked over at his comrade. It ended up being a mistake. The spell that blasted from the end of Engelland's wand hit him square in the face and sent him sprawling backwards across the floor of the station with a loud crash. People looked around in shock and James looked from Moody's prone form—bleeding profusely from his face—to Engelland who was looking down at him with a wide grin. James was so stunned he didn't even think to reach for his wand. By the time the idea had occurred to him, Engelland already had a hold of his arm and James had an unpleasant squeezing sensation as they apparated away. A split second of dark travel later, and James landed on a gravel road. He barely had time to gather his wits before Engelland booted him in the midsection, sending him crashing to the ground and gasping for air.

'W…why…Engelland?' James wheezed.

'Because I'm not Engelland,' said the man who looked like him, as he extracted a whirring, mechanical eye from his pocket, the grin on his face widening.


	36. Fights and Arrests

36

Engelland's face was changing before James' eyes. It looked as though there were marbles under the man's skin, moving around, pushing outwards and rolling inwards at the same time, contorting the face into a shape that didn't suit it. The short cropped, dark hair was elongating into long and elegant curls, and the friendly face of the Auror was changing into the face of James' nightmares. The smoothly trimmed beard on the oddly handsome but at the same time entirely menacing face of Gilles Rochefort. One brown eye now stared at him, and where the other eye should have been was a dark, empty socket which was quickly filled as Rochefort slapped his whirring magical eye into place. Both eyes – natural and magical – now stared at James. The malicious smile was gone, replaced with an almost curious expression.

James slowly got to his feet, aware that Rochefort was allowing him to do so. James suspected that whatever his plan was, he did not want this to end quickly. He could feel his wand in the waist band of his jeans, but he didn't dare reach for it yet. 'Where's Engelland?' he asked once he had regained his breath.

'Dead,' Rochefort said quietly.

'Dead?' James echoed.

Rochefort chuckled. 'Unless removing someone's head from their shoulders does not kill a man, then yes, I would presume he is dead.'

James felt a pang of regret for Engelland, the kind Auror who had taken on the task of shadowing the Potter family's every move and protecting them at every turn.

'It should please you to know that he died well,' Rochefort said, relish in his voice. 'No sniveling or begging. No crying or pleading. No, he went down fighting, trying to get a warning out to the Ministry until his last choked and broken breath. After that things got a bit messy.'

James clenched his fists as hatred for Rochefort swelled within him.

Rochefort idly twirled his wand in his finger. 'You are a curiosity, Potter,' he said in that quiet, silky and menacing voice. 'There I was, firmly ensconced in the good graces of the Dark Lord. His capable lieutenant, capable of handling any task placed before him and eliminating all opposition. Take the Longbottom family, for instance,' he said, his regular eye glinting as James felt himself grow pale. 'For all the mystique surrounding that old, pure-blooded family, they were remarkably easy to destroy. So predictable…protecting the children and all of that nonsense.'

'You're a monster,' James said.

Rochefort laughed. 'An exceptional one,' he said. 'In every regard. Until you came along.' His face darkened as he stepped towards James. 'Suddenly, there were doubts about me,' he hissed. 'Whispers amongst the ranks of the Death Eaters that I, the Dark Lord's most faithful, devoted and talented servant, didn't poses the necessary qualities to destroy a simple child. You, Potter. You are the first thing I have ever encountered that has cast my skills into doubt.'

'I'm honoured,' James said sarcastically.

'You jest,' Rochefort hissed. 'But surely you know as well as I that this was no result of magical skill on your part. It was not the result of you being better than me in any single way. The only reason you stand here alive today is because of luck, circumstance and the protection of powerful allies. None of which you have present now, I may add.'

James sensed the moment was coming soon, but he waited.

'You may wonder where we are,' Rochefort went on, gesturing to the gravel road around them. It was an alley way – where, James could not be sure, but it still looked like London. 'Yes, it's London,' Rochefort confirmed as if James had pondered the question aloud. 'You see, the Dark Lord realized how it was that Dumbledore and his minions were able to hone in on you when he had his little audience with you. You and that mudblood both still have the Trace upon you. It was unwise to lure you out away from where magic is commonplace, where you could blend in with your surroundings. The Dark Lord learned from this, and I have as well. We are very close to King's Cross…close enough that us performing magic will not set off any alarm bells that will summon the Ministry instantly. This will afford us time to duel, one on one. Skill against skill alone.' His eyes flashed. 'Does that frighten you, Potter?' he hissed.

James shifted his feet. 'It bores me, actually,' he said in a confident tone. 'I'm wondering when you're going to stop rambling and start doing something.'

He was satisfied to see a flash of annoyance cross Rochefort's face, but he laughed a moment later. 'I know what you're doing, Potter,' he said slowly. 'It's commendable, really – you know your number is up, so you are simply trying to get your insults in while you can. Yes, you have a quick wit and a big mouth, but neither will save you from me,' he said. 'You have personally offended not only me, but the Dark Lord. You, that mudblood, and the other two – the Longbottom survivor and the Dearborn girl. Once I have destroyed you, along with this ridiculous faint hope that you have somehow come to represent, I will set about destroying them.'

James laughed hollowly. 'Good luck,' he said. 'If you think the Ministry's protection of me was tough to get through, you'll have a Dickens of a time getting to them.'

'True,' Rochefort said. 'But it's all a waiting game. Oh, the wait was agonizing, Potter,' Rochefort said. 'I had half a mind to simply stroll into Hogwarts and murder you in your bed. Take out your little gang of friends at the same time. A suicide mission, maybe, but it would have been oh-so-satisfying. But even if I had been able to set foot on the Hogwarts grounds again, Dumbledore and his staff would surely have managed to intervene. So I waited. I saw your little routine of guards during the Christmas break – Meadowes and Cresswell handing you over to Engelland and Moody – and I hatched a plan. It meant waiting, but I knew the payoff would be sweet.

'Another idea I got from you, Potter,' Rochefort said silkily. 'Word of your pranks always make their way out of the school. Naturally, the only way you could have duped those Slytherins in the manner in which you did was Polyjuice Potion. What an excellent idea. Of course, again, you had a more-skilled friend help you in concocting it.'

'How do you know all of this?' James asked.

Rochefort laughed. 'I don't rat on my friends, Potter,' he said. 'But back to what I was saying – it was all just a matter of catching Engelland a lone, dispatching him, and then assuming his form. With any luck, I may have also managed to kill Moody at the same time. Two birds, Potter,' he said. 'And now here we stand. I understand you have been taught how to duel. Now we shall see how skilled you really are.'

James moved instinctively. In less time than it took for the thought to formulate in his head, he called upon his Quidditch reflexes and moved left, drawing his wand at the same time. The curse that Rochefort had sent his way whistled past where James had been standing, crashing into a garbage can which exploded into pieces.

'Expelliarmus!' James called, still running to the side. The swiftness of Rochefort's shield charm would surely have knocked James off balance had he been standing still. Rochefort now spun his wand and cast another curse at James, but he dove into a roll, slashing his wand as he did so and non-verbally casting the redactor curse. Rochefort dodged nimbly aside and it careened into a wall, denting the brick heavily and raining down powder on them. James sprung to his feet, his wand held out in front of him to see Rochefort doing the same.

'Impressive,' Rochefort said quietly. 'Much better than I anticipated.'

James smiled grimly. 'You're much worse than I anticipated,' he said.

Rochefort's eyes flashed and he slashed his wand again. James hurled himself to the side but it still caught him on his shoulder, sending him spinning and crashing to the ground. He climbed to his knees before something struck him in the face – Rochefort had leapt forward and kicked him hard in the nose. The force of the strike lifted James from the ground where he had been on his hands and knees and sent him crashing onto his back. He saw stars in his vision and he was suddenly flung through the air once more, crashing into a brick wall. James felt a surge of pain in his hip as he crashed to the ground. He looked up to see Rochefort advancing – James had refused to relinquish his grip on his wand. He recalled the tactic he had used on Snape – spells cast in quick succession, and he pointed his wand at Rochefort, jabbing with it and casting over and over.

The stunning spells flew at Rochefort and, with a momentary feeling of glee, James saw one of the spells surge through and catch him in the midsection. Rochefort staggered and James hauled himself to his feet, pointing his wand at a trash bin and magically hurling it towards Rochefort. It struck him in the face, sending him crashing to the ground. James limped forward, casting a stunning spell, but Rochefort leapt up and away and slashed his wand angrily. A wall of purple flame spat towards James who cast a shield charm, but the force of the curse sent him hurtling backwards once more. He soared through the air before landing heavily and skidding along the ground on his bag, the gravel chopping his skin like a cheese grater. James pointed his wand from his back and cast two stunning spells, but Rochefort deflected them both and then struck James with the Cruciatus Curse.

For a moment that seemed like an eternity, James' world was wrent apart. He knew nothing but pain that seemed like it would never end, but just as suddenly as the sensation had begun, it ended. James' brain was scattered for a moment, but he was suddenly kicked in the side of the head again. He cried out in pain – he couldn't see, his vision was blurred and spotted with white stars. He was kicked over and over again – his torso, his face, his head, his legs – he tried to curl into a fetal position to protect himself but Rochefort was relentless. James could feel bones snapping under the onslaught as Rochefort punctuated each blow with a word.

'How—skilled—are—you—now—Potter?' Rochefort bellowed, kicking James one last time in the back and then backing away was James lay there. He coughed and blood splattered out of his mouth. He looked at Rochefort who was standing there; for all the damage Rochefort had done to James, he could only see a scratch on one of Rochefort's cheeks. 'Get up,' Rochefort snarled. 'The time has come, Potter. Get up. I want to look at you when I kill you. I want you to soar through the air and land like a broken china doll when I strike!'

James thought of Engelland. Rochefort said he had died honourably, fighting to the last breath, and James knew the time had come to use his one last shot. His mind drifted to Madam Bones – you have to MEAN Unforgiveable Curses, Potter – and he thought of Professor Bowen. He thought of the Longbottoms. He thought of Engelland. He thought of Sirius being kidnapped, of Frank and Alice being ambushed.

James was only dimly aware of having gotten to his feet. One of his eyes was swollen shut.

'Come on, Potter. Don't you have any other little tricks you want to try?' Rochefort taunted. 'Come on. Free shot. What childish little spells has that muggle-loving fool Dumbledore taught you?'

James managed a grin. 'Only one,' he choked through broken teeth. He pointed his wand at Rochefort and summoned all of his anger and hate. 'AVADA KEDAVARA!'

Time seemed to slow down. It felt as if every ounce of energy James possessed had flowed through his arm and out the end of his wand. A massive jet of green light soared across the ally straight at Rochefort, whose normal eye had widened in surprise. He made no move; he had not expected anything like this. The light seemed to encompass him in the second before the spell struck, and James saw a flash of fear cross his face.

Then it hit. The curse caught Rochefort in the sternum and lifted him from the ground, rocketing him across the alley into a brick wall which cracked and crumbled around him, burying him in bricks. A cloud of dust and rubble flew into the air, covering James in dirt and grime as he sank to his knees. He couldn't move a muscle. He simply sat there, resting on his heels, panting as he squinted through the dust, waiting. The cloud cleared and there sat the pile of brick and rubble. No movement.

James knew a fleeting sensation of glee, but it was short-lived.

A hand slowly broke through the surface of the rubble and it was followed by another. The long-haired head of Rochefort emerged after it, taking a long, shuddering breath as he emerged from the pile. He flopped down on top of it and coughed, spraying blood all over the ground. He took choked breaths and now looked to be in just as bad a state as James was. He looked at up at him.

'You…miserable…little…bastard,' Rochefort hissed. He raised his wand, and James knew there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was powerless, drained. His last chance had failed. He had not been able to finish him off.

But suddenly, loud cracking sounds met James' ears from either end of the ally. He couldn't even turn his head to look, but Rochefort did – and suddenly he was gone with a loud crack of his own, apparating away.

'JAMES!' came a familiar voice and he was suddenly aware that he was pitching forward onto the ground, crashing face first to the dirt. He was quickly turned over and he was looking up into several faces. They were blurs with familiar voices. James blinked several times, tears of pain blotting his vision. 'James, it's me,' came his father's voice. 'James can you hear me?'

James took a choked breath through battered lungs surrounded by broken ribs. 'I couldn't do it,' he whispered.

'Couldn't do what, son?' Mr. Potter said.

'I couldn't…kill him,' James rasped.

'What's he talking about?' came another sharp voice. James squinted and saw the outline of Bartemius Crouch. 'Give me his wand.'

'Really, Barty, is that necessary—' his father began.

'I said give it here,' Crouch said sternly.

'He's just been through the fight of his life—against Rochefort, for God's sake!' Mr. Potter thundered. 'You can't be serious!'

A third voice joined in. 'Potter, hand over his wand.' It was Millicent Bagnold.

'This is absurd,' Mr. Potter said as James felt his wand being taken from his hand.

'Priori Incantatem,' came Crouch's voice. James heard a faint rushing sound and recognized it as a microcosm of the noise he had heard when he cast the curse. There was a series of hushed whispers following the sound and James felt his father's grip upon him tighten.

It was Bagnold who spoke next. 'Where the hell did he learn to do that…?' she whispered.

'You…you know the law, Potter…' said Crouch in an uncertain voice. It was a tone James had not heard from the man.

'You can't be serious,' Mr. Potter said angrily. 'All of you—you can't be! He was going to be killed! He had no choice!'

'There are no exceptions,' Crouch said quietly.

'Millicent—Millicent, please,' Mr. Potter said. He was begging now. James could feel his consciousness slipping away—he fought to stay awake, strained to hear the words he knew would damn his future.

'I…I am sorry,' Bagnold said. 'But the law is the law. We must place James Potter under arrest…'

The rest was lost as James lost consciousness, his world fading to a bleak, hopeless black.


	37. Author's Note

A/N:

That brings Year Three to a close. I apologize for the delays in completing this, and do not worry, I intend to start Year Four soon. I actually had these last two chapters planned out for some time, it was the journey of getting there that was difficult. I didn't want to rush what I had in store for you all. So as much as some of you may hate the cliff-hanger ending, I hope you will feel rewarded when Year Four starts.

Thanks to everyone who has been following along!


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